Updated September 16, 2015.
If you grew up in an alcoholic or other dysfunctional family, is likely that your life may still be affected by the experience. You may also have found that you developed some personality characteristics that are common to adult children of alcoholics.
Many people who were raised in alcoholic homes find that they were affected so profoundly that those effects contined throughout their adult life, in their lives, their careers, their relationships and in their decision-making.
Whether you grew up with one parent who was alcoholic, or both alcoholic parents, the experience can have life-long effects on your quality of life.
The books listed on this page offer insight into the characteristics that adult children typically develop, and practical advice for learning how to make better decisions to lead a more healthy life, functionally and emotionally.
This best-selling book by Janet G. Woititz was the first to address the specific problems experienced by those who grew up in alcoholic homes. The latest, expanded version includes experiences from various dysfunctional family backgrounds who share the same characteristics. You can now purchase a complete collection of Dr. Jan's groundbreaking books in one volumn: "The Complete ACOA Sourcebook: Adult Children of Alcoholics at Home, at Work and in Love"Buy from Amazon »
Alcoholic families are not the only ones that produce adult children with dysfunctional characteristics. John and Linda Friel explore the effect that perfectionism, workaholism, compulsive overeating, intimacy problems, depression, and problems in expressing feelings can have in creating a dysfunctional family system. One hallmark of all disfunctional families is that they all have, and try to keep, secrets.Buy from Amazon »
Janet Woititz gives practical tips to help adult children learn basic life skills, such as standing up for themselves, making decisions, solving problems and learning how to say "no." The book contains examples and exercises to help readers practice their newly learned skills. Twenty-five years after it was first published this book is still relevant to those who grew up in dysfunctional homes.Buy from Amazon »
One of the founding members of the Adult Children of Alcoholics recovery movement, Tony A., was the original author of the "Laundry List" of common characteristics of adult children. In this book, Tony teams with Dan F. to provide an inside view of "The ACoA Experience."Buy from Amazon »
If you grew up in an alcoholic or other dysfunctional family, is likely that your life may still be affected by the experience. You may also have found that you developed some personality characteristics that are common to adult children of alcoholics.
Many people who were raised in alcoholic homes find that they were affected so profoundly that those effects contined throughout their adult life, in their lives, their careers, their relationships and in their decision-making.
Whether you grew up with one parent who was alcoholic, or both alcoholic parents, the experience can have life-long effects on your quality of life.
The books listed on this page offer insight into the characteristics that adult children typically develop, and practical advice for learning how to make better decisions to lead a more healthy life, functionally and emotionally.
1. Adult Children of Alcoholics
This best-selling book by Janet G. Woititz was the first to address the specific problems experienced by those who grew up in alcoholic homes. The latest, expanded version includes experiences from various dysfunctional family backgrounds who share the same characteristics. You can now purchase a complete collection of Dr. Jan's groundbreaking books in one volumn: "The Complete ACOA Sourcebook: Adult Children of Alcoholics at Home, at Work and in Love"Buy from Amazon »
2. Adult Children: The Secrets of Dysfunctional Families
Alcoholic families are not the only ones that produce adult children with dysfunctional characteristics. John and Linda Friel explore the effect that perfectionism, workaholism, compulsive overeating, intimacy problems, depression, and problems in expressing feelings can have in creating a dysfunctional family system. One hallmark of all disfunctional families is that they all have, and try to keep, secrets.Buy from Amazon »
3. An Adult Child's Guide to What's 'Normal'
One of the characteristics of adult children is that they have to guess at what "normal" is, because they have no model to follow. John and Linda Friel wrote this practical guide for adult children of dysfunctional homes to help them learn how to live a more healthy life.Buy from Amazon »
4. Lifeskills for Adult Children
Janet Woititz gives practical tips to help adult children learn basic life skills, such as standing up for themselves, making decisions, solving problems and learning how to say "no." The book contains examples and exercises to help readers practice their newly learned skills. Twenty-five years after it was first published this book is still relevant to those who grew up in dysfunctional homes.Buy from Amazon »
5. Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics
Herbert Gravitz and Julie D. Bowden explain the journey of recovery for adult children from ignorance to awareness to integration and self-acceptance. The authors offer a guide to determining which issues and treatment options are most relevant for adult children of alcoholics and dsyfunctional families.Buy from Amazon »
6. Struggle for Intimacy
The problem with finding intimacy for adult children is that the steps required are in direct conflict with the survival skills they learned while growing up in a dysfunctional home. Janet G. Woititz, pioneer in the field, explains the life-long process and struggle for intimacy for adult children.Buy from Amazon »
7. Self-Sabotage Syndrome: Adult Children in the Workplace
Another characteristic of adult children is a propensity to sabotage things just when they start going well. This is particularly unhealthy in the workplace. This book offers advice on how to find balance and develop healthy relationships and attitudes at work.Buy from Amazon »
8. The Laundry List: The ACoA Expereince
One of the founding members of the Adult Children of Alcoholics recovery movement, Tony A., was the original author of the "Laundry List" of common characteristics of adult children. In this book, Tony teams with Dan F. to provide an inside view of "The ACoA Experience."Buy from Amazon »