They may find themselves repeating dysfunctional patterns in their own relationships or battling addiction themselves. Yet, despite these obstacles, ACOAs often possess remarkable strengths, including resilience, empathy, and a strong sense of responsibility. The primary purpose of the Adult Children of Alcoholics program is to carry the message of recovery to all who suffer from being raised in an alcoholic or dysfunctional environment. ACA meetings also help people who grew up in such circumstances heal from the effects of their childhood environments. Alcoholic parents are often not the best model of communication, and this can affect their children’s communication skills as adults. ACOAs may struggle to express their emotions and exhibit a general lack of assertiveness, making it challenging for them to build or maintain functional relationships.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Basic Principles and Application Areas
Psychological factors affect genetic vulnerability of developing alcoholism. One of the lesser studied but significant etiological risk factor for alcohol use disorders is temperament or personality traits. Personality characteristics and social environment of an individual interact to contribute in the formation of any kind of problematic behavior 8. The effects of growing up with an alcoholic parent can last a lifetime if people do not receive the help they need. What a child learns from an alcoholic parent can create maladaptive behaviors that affect the individual and others. As kids grow up and become teens and adults, those behaviors become habits that turn into personality traits.
Anxiety and Emotional Problems
Understanding the root causes of inconsistency in ACOAs is crucial for developing therapeutic strategies that address these patterns. Through therapy and support, ACOAs can work towards establishing stability in their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, thereby improving their overall quality of life. It’s important for ACOAs to recognize this trait and understand its roots in their childhood experiences to address it effectively. Seeking therapy, joining support groups, and developing communication skills can help ACOAs overcome isolation and build meaningful connections with others. Understanding these traits is crucial for ACOAs to start healing and for their loved ones to provide the necessary support.
Adult Children of Alcoholics Personality Traits and Characteristics
Growing up in a household where chaos or survival was the focus can stifle Types of Alcoholics joy and creativity. Through expressive therapies (such as art therapy, dance, or creative writing) or simply through self-exploration, therapy helps you connect with the playful, curious parts of yourself. Therapies like Internal Family Systems (IFS) or Gestalt Therapy help you reconnect with the younger parts of yourself—the parts that learned to survive through perfectionism, control, or withdrawal. Through dialogue with these parts, you can acknowledge their pain, release their burdens, and integrate them into a more whole and compassionate self.
- All of these behaviors can make it more difficult to form healthy, satisfying relationships.
- As kids grow up and become teens and adults, those behaviors become habits that turn into personality traits.
- This group utilizes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Rational Emotive Therapy as effective therapeutic approaches to empower individuals in their journey toward healing and personal growth.
- Growing up in a household with parental alcoholism often means being in a constant state of alertness.
Feelings of Depression & Anxiety
The hero takes on too much responsibility and often feels resentful, while the scapegoat is the angry, rebellious child who tries to get attention in any way possible.The lost child withdraws from family life and tries to avoid conflict. Lastly, the mascot uses humour to lighten the mood and cope with the stress. The unstable and dysfunctional environments in which they were raised can make ACOAs form multiple codependent relationships. They may feel responsible for other people’s happiness and often put others’ needs before theirs. Codependency in ACOAs often arises from a need to be in control and maintain stability in an often chaotic environment.
- They may also have trouble identifying and expressing their emotions, a trait developed as a protective mechanism during childhood.
- While these statements may be accurate, not facing up to the damages wrought by alcoholic parents can lead to unresolved issues building up.
- Growing up with an alcoholic parent can make expressing emotions feel complicated.
- If you find yourself taking on responsibilities and burdens that shouldn’t be yours, allowing your boundaries to be crossed without consequences, or making excuses for your alcoholic parent, you may be acting as the Enabler in your family.
- These behaviors stem from a desire to create order in a previously chaotic environment.
Common Traits of Adult Children of Alcoholics + How to Heal
It can push away well-meaning friends who do not understand how to respond and may think that the individual no longer wants to be friends. It can make romantic partners or spouses feel unloved and cause emotional and communication barriers. In work relationships, it can lead to more missed days at work, poor communication, lower job satisfaction, and poorer quality of work. This is one of many destructive personality traits of children of alcoholics. Imagine a child tiptoeing through a minefield of unpredictable emotions, never knowing when the next explosion might occur. They learn to navigate a world where stability is a luxury and adaptability is a necessity.
