In the mid 1970’s the first Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) meeting was started in Manhattan by a group in al anon who found they had a lot in common from growing up in alcoholic families. Out of this group “The Laundry List” created by Tony A. became the foundation of ACA and when others heard this list felt as if it could have been a list they had written about themselves. You can learn more about the ACA program at their web site http://www.adultchildren.org
Out of the alcohol treatment community, concepts of dysfunctional family dynamics started to come forward in articles by Claudia Black, Stephanie Brown and Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse. The general public seemed to be introduced to dysfunctional families by the John Bradshaw 1988 PBS series and his first book, Bradshaw on the Family. This launched the Co-Dependency and Inner Child movement, opening up treatment programs, the John Bradshaw treatment program here in Los Angeles for one and workshops across the country helping people to reclaim their inner child.
These characteristics of growing up in an Alcoholic family seem to fit growing up in any family that experiences a lot of chaos and trauma.
Dr. Janet G. Woititz suggests these 13 characteristics of Adult Children:
These characteristics are a starting point. You may relate to them or not. Growing up in an alcoholic family will certainly impact you. When you can identify how you are impacted then you can start to challenge the belief that comes from that behavior. Change comes with interrupting your usual response.
Adult Children will often refer to the “laundry list” a list that early on identified characteristics of growing up in an alcoholic family. This list is attributed to Tony A. and this is not the original list.
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