The Complete ACOA Sourcebook: Adult Children of Alcoholics at Home, at Work and in Love

Adult children of Alcoholics are the same as we are at home, at work and in love. We are a breed of our own with many stumbles along the road to reality. I often wondered why I could start so many projects and yet abandon them long before completion, and why I never understood what normal was, taking myself and life too seriously and struggling to find appropriate levels of intimacy in all of my relationships. Author Janet Woititz leaves no stone unturned, no symptom or characteristic of an Adult Child unexamined. The book is divided into three parts based on its subtitle: How ACoA's function at home, at work and in love. Each part begins with a personal message from the author as if she takes the reader by the hand to offer validation and to lead us bravely through to the next section. There is even a chapter called "So You Love an ACoA" for those of us whose partners still totally don't understand what we survived. Regarding the ACoA at work, Woititz discusses our tendency towards workaholism, burnout and the subtle sabotage we may create in our jobs. A variety of professions are disected: medical student, priest, foreman, counselor, supervisor, caregiver or any employee according to how the profession relates to the ACoA, what we need to look out for and how what we've been through grants us the knowledge of how to succeed in our chosen professions. The tail end of the book even features valuable guidance for Employee Assistance programs. This book is filled with several "Aha!" moments for me (especially Chapter 2 "What Happened to You as a Child?" and Chapter 3, "Breaking the Cycle.") I recommend its timeless information to any adult who grew up with an alcoholic parent or any form of dysfunction.

This book answered alot of questions for me. If you've ever wondered "why do I act this way?" and you come from an alcoholic family, check this book out - quick!

I'm 60+ years old and always wondered why in certain areas of my life I seemed to be just a 'cog off' in many of my thoughts and reactions to life. This book was one 'ah-ha' after another. I had worked through many of the 'glitches' on my own but it was a good feeling to finally understand from where they had come. Not in a blaming way, just in an understanding way. I would recommend it to anyone from an alcoholic family who 'wonders' why they react in ways that are not 'the norm' and have needs that they have spent a lifetime trying to fill without being able to.

Although this book was helpful, I also recommend "Life-skills for adult Children" by Janet Woititz, because this book is thin and contains specific advice.

This was one of the most informative and helpful books I've read on the subject. It helped define the specific issues all ACOA's face and yet may not have realized were related to the experience. I'd highly recommend this book to all ACOA's and all of their family, friends or lovers that want to understand their loved one.