Remarkable

[steve]

It is remarkable that there were NO POSTS to this forum prior to this one.

An individual with insight into addiction would know that ACOA issues are a MAJOR stimulus for an individual to self medicate to deal with the pain of painful childhood memories, particularly of a parent with substance abuse issues.

I would like to hear some feedback.

Steve

[rick]

Hi Steve - This is a brand new forum here at addiction search and thus your post is the very first ;) There are indeed many issues confronting anyone who deals with ACOA and the issues get compounded if the individual is also themselves an alcoholic or addict. Some of the personal history surrounding a parent or parent’s use while the child is growing up include:

Inconsistency, e.g., it was never possible to predict what kind of mood or state the alcoholic would be in

Alcohol as the center of attention, whether the focus was on placating, fixing or ignoring him/her

Denial that there was a problem (e.g., excusing parent's drinking or insisting that it didn't change anything)

Invalidation of feelings (frequently children perceive a problem but are told that they are wrong)

Later in life these family of origin deficits sometimes manifest themselves in the ACOA as Low Self Esteem, Anger, Incarceration and of course a higher incidence of alcoholism and substance abuse.


Rick

[attagirl]

Great comments by everyone here. I am in agreeance that because the forum is so new that there are not as many posts as you might be expecting there to be but nonetheless they are coming in. Hang in there and keep contributing when and where you can.

[rafael]

Its good that all the cooments and posts here are very valuable and every body is participating actively in the forum. Its really nice to be here.

[attagirl]

I understand the pain that comes with having parents that are alcoholics as I am one of those who suffered this. But what I do not understand is how a child who grows up can blame their parents when their own lives have failed. They claim it was because of their alcoholic parents. I went through this but have not blamed anyone else for the times that I have suffered as an adult. As we all can make choices for ourselves which are not the cause of anyone but ourselves.