Growing Up With An Alcoholic Parent

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So you grew up with an alcoholic mother or father, or both. You are now an adult with a list of problems caused by your experiences growing up in that environment. You’ve probably asked yourself some big questions: How can I heal when I grew up this way? Where can I begin to understand what I need to do to move forward?

Growing Up With An Alcoholic Parent

Friend, I have three top tips to help you heal so you can create the life you love.

Standing In The Shadow Of Addiction

As the adult child of an alcoholic mother, I asked myself these questions many times. When I started my recovery journey, I had no idea what I was doing. But I knew that there were many happy people who were once unhappy like me, and they all had to start somewhere. I knew that if I tried to take on too much too quickly, I would become overwhelmed and give up, so I started doing things that were fun and not scary. For example, I stopped accepting more tasks at work that kept me in the office late. I found new activities that sounded fun, like a creative writing course. I went for long walks. This led to more self-care and more fun activities. So I jumped into learning by reading a little at a time. I went to the library and checked out books about addiction and its effects on families. This led me to find a therapist. Before long I was well on my way to my recovery journey! It gave me a sense of freedom I had never felt before.

There’s nothing easy about diving in feet first to recover from the effects of growing up with an alcoholic parent. Some people will never do this. It’s easier to block out the past and keep the pain inside. But the longer all these memories and problems stay buried, the longer you will be trapped and never able to live the life you love! Walt Disney said, “I hope we don’t miss one thing; it was all started by a mouse.” Just start. One of the main advantages of recovering from being the adult child of an alcoholic is that once you start you build momentum and you will soon be well on your recovery journey! Then the best part happens: Hope and determination will come in droves, and you’ll be fully convinced that the life you want is within your reach.

The first step is to acknowledge that your parent’s drinking affects you deeply. Only then will you be free to reveal the problems and pain you’ve buried deep your whole life. The best way to know how to start your recovery journey is to just start.

In 2009 I was at my lowest point. When I woke up in the morning, fear gripped me. I was completely caught up in the worsening chaos of my mother’s drinking and became obsessed with stopping it. The future looked hopeless. My life was a never-ending series of obligations with nothing left to enjoy.

S 69) Al Anon Welcomes Adult Children Of Alcoholics — Al Anon Family Services Of Middle Tennessee

I knew I couldn’t continue living this way. I desperately admitted that I had lost control of my life and needed to completely start over to take control of my destiny. I had no idea where to start and there wasn’t much useful on the internet. All I knew was that I wanted to have fun.

I started doing the things I loved doing as a kid. I enrolled in a creative writing course at my local community college. The creative writing course changed everything completely. I made friends with other writers who encouraged me to continue my writing. I started watching comedy and stand-up shows. I started walking for fitness. I felt freer than I had in years!

Once I started doing these fun activities, I had enough hope to take on what I knew would be less fun but necessary: ​​After years of avoiding it, I decided to attend an Al-Anon meeting. Al-Anon is a support group for families and friends of alcoholics. The Al-Anon meeting was the beginning of my recovery journey and a deep dive into the effects of growing up in the chaos of my mother’s addiction.

Start somewhere, even if you only have 15 minutes a day. Once you decide you want to get better and are committed to seeing it through, you’ll be amazed at how much time and energy you suddenly discover.

Growing Up With Addiction In The Home

Learning how to take care of yourself sheds light on what your next step should be. When I first started my recovery journey, I asked other people who had successfully recovered for a playbook. Unfortunately, playbooks do not exist as everyone has their own unique journey!

My best advice on how to create your recovery journey is to start having fun while also acknowledging that your life isn’t what it should be because you’re still stuck with the problems that stem from your parent’s addiction. When you begin to learn from other people in recovery or surround yourself with people, things, and places that bring you peace and inspiration, you will see what steps you need to take next.

Remember that life and recovery is a journey. This is not a process that will be solved quickly. Start working and keep working. I started this journey for myself in 2009. I know I will be on this path for the rest of my life. Just when I think I have it all figured out, I realize I still have a lot to learn! But the incredible progress you will make in your journey is what will push you forward. I barely recognize the woman who was depressed at 26 years old. At that time, I could not have imagined my life being what it is today. I felt like I was sentenced to life imprisonment for feeling that way because I was stuck in the hell of having an addicted parent. I was very sick and didn’t know it.

If I could go back in time and give advice to my 26-year-old self, the first thing I would say would be to buckle up for this ride of a lifetime. Nothing is easy, but it will be so worth it. To successfully recover from the effects of your alcoholic parent, you must be committed to constantly learning and improving. Personal development means you need to keep reading books, following inspiring people on social media, and constantly reminding yourself of what you’ve learned.

Best Books For Adult Children Of Alcoholics (acoas)

Even if you want to give up, keep going. If you think you’ve learned everything you need to learn, keep going. Even if you feel like things are getting better, keep going. Life is unpredictable and you never know when it might throw you for a loop and you’ll fall back into your old ways and get stuck.

There you have it: My best tips for healing from growing up with an alcoholic parent. This is the surefire way to build the foundation necessary to successfully heal from your experiences and create the life you love.

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