Since the 1980s, as more adult children of alcoholics attended Al-Anon, they began writing and sharing their stories, helping to make our Conference Approved Literature (CAL) more reflective of our membership as a whole. Take a look at the following books and pamphlets that deal specifically with adult children issues.
- Did You Grow Up with a Problem Drinker? (S-25)
- Al-Anon Family Groups Welcome Adult Children of Alcoholics (S-69)
- Al-Anon Sharings from Adult Children (P-47)
- From Survival to Recovery: Growing up in an Alcoholic Home (B-21)
- Hope for Today (B-27)
Additionally, every Al-Anon book produced in the last 35 years has included the input and sharings of our adult children members. In How Al-Anon Works for Families and Friends of Alcoholics (B-22), 18 of its 42 personal stories are from adult children. Dozens of the stories in Opening Our Hearts, Transforming Our Losses (B-29); Discovering Choices (B-30); and Intimacy in Alcoholic Relationships (B-33) are from adult children. By looking up “Diversity, Adult children of alcoholics” in the index of Many Voices, One Journey (B-31) you can trace the history of adult children within our fellowship.
I was born into an alcoholic family.
My Mother grew up with a father and step father who had drinking problems. My grandmother focused her life on the alcoholic. My Mother and her siblings pretty much raised themselves. Many times my mother went without anything in the house to eat. They also moved a lot. As an adult my Mother visited my grandmother & step grandfather 3-4 times a week. I think she wanted to make sure my Grandmother was okay. I would ask my Mom to take me with her to visit Grandma, but she said no. One time when I was 12 years old Mom… Read more »