A struggle just to be me

As an adult child of an alcoholic, I learned the art of people pleasing early in life.  Unpredictability, mixed messages, and erratic displays of emotion were common experiences in my home.

As an adult, I often found myself attracted to or drawn to people who exhibited the kind of inconsistent behavior and moods that I encountered growing up.  I found it difficult to understand this behavior, and had to resort to guessing to figure out how to feel or express myself.  As a result, I have a hard time expressing honest emotions.

However, through learning about ACOA, going to meetings, and much prayer, I’m growing into the person I know I was always meant to be.  I sometimes joke that it’s a shame that I learned about the effects of being ACOC so late in life; but better late than never I supposed.

Hi, I’m Liz Hawkins, and I’m an adult child of an alcoholic.