Adult Children Recovery

Ten years ago, Janet Woititz broke new ground in our understanding of what it is to be an adult child of an alcoholic. Today, she re-examines the movement and its inclusion of adult children from various dysfunctional family backgrounds who share the same characteristics. After more than 10 years of working with ACoAs, she shares the recovery hints that she has found to work. Listen to Adult Children of Alcoholics to see where the journey began and for ideas on where to go from here.

Many children of narcissistic parents eventually face a question: How do I step back from my family to heal? If you grew up with narcissistic parents, you know how heavy that question feels. You spent years walking on eggshells—shapeshifting into who they wanted you to be, excusing their cutting remarks, or convincing yourself “it’s not that bad.” But deep down, the scars remain: people-pleasing, shame, self-doubt, and the nagging belief that you’ll never be enough unless you keep overperforming to maintain the image. It doesn’t have to stay this way. Recovery Guide for Adult ...

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) is a 12 Step organization that helps people deal with trauma, neglect, abandonment and abuse experienced in childhood that still affects as adults. This book is an official conference approved book of the fellowship of ACA. These daily readings, one for each day of the year, offer shared experiences from actual ACA members about the subject for the day that also include a passage from the Adult Children of Alcoholics / Dysfunctional Families Big Red Book. The pages are cited and the readings can be used as part of a daily meditation exercise.

Liberate Your True Self! Experience freedom from the emotional chains of Immature Parents, even if it's been a lifelong struggle to change! Do you find yourself trapped in the emotional web spun by your immature parents? Are you overwhelmed by guilt, struggling to create independence and boundaries without triggering family drama? Does the thought of setting boundaries cause inner tension and confusion, as if you are betraying your loved ones? It's time to redefine your reality and claim your life. What you learned in your family of origin came from your ancestors, culture, society, and ...

It is estimated that as many as 34 million people grew up in alcoholic homes. But what about the rest of us? What about families that had no alcoholism, but did have perfectionism, workaholism, compulsive overeating, intimacy problems, depression, problems in expressing feelings, plus all the other personality traits that can produce a family system much like an alcoholic one? Countless millions of us struggle with these kinds of dysfunctions every day, and until very recently we struggled alone.

Those who have had a narcissistic parent can testify to how damaging it can be to one's psyche. Narcissistic parents lack empathy, show a severe sense of entitlement to micromanage the lives of their children, and often subject their children to neglect, as well as emotional, psychological, and physical abuse. From the unique challenges daughters of narcissistic fathers face to the ways in which adverse childhood experiences affect our brains, Shahida Arabi's insightful essays resonate deeply with those who have been raised by narcissistic parents.

The ACA Fellowship Text was anonymously written by ACA members and provides guidance on working the 12 -step ACA program, leading to recovery from the effects of growing up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional family. ACA WSO has adapted AA's steps (with permission from AA) to address the effects of childhood trauma and neglect and offer hope to ACAs worldwide.

If only you could control the outcome… No parent imagines their tiny infant growing up to have an addiction. Your once precious child now makes frightening choices and takes terrifying risks. You are worried your son or daughter’s use of drugs or alcohol has reached a sufficient level of concern that you are exploring or have already admitted your adult child to treatment. You are hard-wired as a parent to love, provide, protect, nurture, and rescue your young, just like every other mammal. You’ve ranted and punished, cried and pleaded, and it may have felt like nothing seemed to ...

Your mother posts on Facebook about being a "blessed mom" while you're having panic attacks at the thought of calling her. Sound familiar? "After everything I've done for you..." "You're too sensitive..." "No one will ever love you like I do..." "I was just trying to help..." These phrases echo in your head long after the conversation ends. You apologize for existing. You feel guilty when good things happen to you. You're exhausted from managing everyone's emotions except your own. And the worst part? Everyone thinks she's wonderful. Have you ever found yourself asking: • Why do I feel ...

Estrangement Is Not the End of You — 2-in-1 Combined Edition Two transformational guides to heal the pain, break the silence, and create a life of peace, purpose, and joy. If you’re a parent or grandparent living with the ache of estrangement, you already know this grief is like no other. It’s the heartbreak of loving someone who is still alive—of birthdays unacknowledged, empty chairs at holidays, and endless questions with no answers. This 2-in-1 Combined Edition brings together the most compassionate, practical guidance from coach and author Nancy McCartney to help you navigate ...

This Is Not the End of You How to Grieve Estrangement, Reclaim Your Power, and Live Free from the Past What happens when someone you love walks away and never looks back? Estrangement is one of the most painful and misunderstood experiences a person can endure. It’s a loss that comes without ceremony or support—a grief without a funeral. Whether it’s your adult child, your sibling, a parent, or someone you once trusted deeply, the silence they leave behind is deafening. You search for answers. You wonder if it was your fault. You carry the guilt, shame, and sadness quietly while life ...

Process your childhood trauma, learn to set boundaries, and finally put yourself first with these exercises and journal prompts from TikTok’s popular healing transformation coach Dr. Kai. If you were raised by emotionally immature parents, you know that unpacking your childhood isn’t easy...

Have you ever heard of your inner child? Well, this is the classic book that started it all. In 1987, Charlie Whitfield's breakthrough concept of the child within - that part of us which is truly alive, energetic, creative. and fulfilled - launched the inner child movement. Healing the Child Within describes how the inner child is lost to trauma and loss, and how by recovering it, we can heal the fear, confusion and unhappiness of adult life.

Are you tired of questioning your worth, walking on emotional eggshells, or wondering if your childhood pain was even real? What if the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally… didn’t? 📘 Healing from Toxic Parenting is not just a book—it’s a lifeline for adult children raised by narcissistic, manipulative, or emotionally immature parents. If you've ever felt "not good enough," emotionally exhausted, or crushed under the weight of guilt and people-pleasing, you are not alone—and it’s not your fault. Written with profound empathy and piercing insight by Jaxon Wolfe...

From the author of the New York Times best seller Adult Children of Alcoholics - a wonderful book that affirms and encourages ACoAs by developing your skills for living. Imagine how good you would feel if: you could stand up for yourself without losing your temper; you could make a decision without second guessing yourself; and you didn't have that sense of worthlessness every time someone criticized you. In Lifeskills for Adult Children you can learn how to do these things and more.

The secret to healing emotional wounds from your past is reconnecting with your inner child. Discover how to nurture this essential relationship... If you've experienced persistent anxiety, self-doubt, struggles with intimacy, or harmful emotional patterns you can't break, you've probably wondered if your childhood experiences might be the cause. Perhaps you've tried various approaches to ease the lingering sadness or emptiness, yet find yourself longing for a solution that truly works. You might even think that carrying these emotional burdens is simply part of life, something you'll just ...

Reframe your past, transform your future, and experience the healing power of CBT—starting from the day you open this book. Have your goals, hopes, and dreams fallen by the wayside over the years? Do you find it hard to stand up for yourself, and are you so tired of trying to fulfill everyone’s demands that you feel burnt out and fatigued—so much so that all you want to do is be alone? Are many of your relationships unfulfilling, and do you constantly give your best self to people who are narcissistic, codependent, selfish, or uncaring? It doesn’t have to be that way—but don’t ...

The Book That's Transforming How We Heal Our Most Fundamental Relationship Have you ever felt that, despite your mother's love, something essential was missing? There are truths we whisper, uncomfortable secrets we keep. Perhaps none is as difficult to voice as this: sometimes, our mothers didn't know how to love us in the ways we desperately needed. For many of us, questioning maternal love feels almost sacrilegious. But if you've found yourself here, you likely sense that something fundamental was missing from this core relationship – and that recognition, however painful, is your first...

The Complete ACOA Sourcebook is a compilation of three of Dr. Woititz's classic books, addressing head-on the symptoms of The Adult Children of Alcoholics syndrome and providing strategies for living a normal life as an adult. Listeners will find help for themselves: at home, in intimate relationships, and on the job. They will discover the reasons for the way they think, believe, and feel about themselves; ACOAs often feel isolated, have difficulty in relationships, in the workplace, and in feeling good about themselves.

A Practical Workbook to Manage Triggers, Calm the Nervous System, and Heal Emotional Patterns If you grew up feeling unsafe, unheard, or emotionally overwhelmed, your nervous system may still be reacting as if the past is happening now. Sudden emotional reactions, shutdowns, anxiety, anger, or numbness are not personal failures — they are learned survival responses. This practical, compassionate workbook is designed specifically for adults healing from childhood trauma who want real tools to regulate emotions, reduce triggers, and feel more in control of their inner world. You don’t ...