ACoA stands for “Adult Children of Alcoholics.” But what does this mean exactly? 
This acronym refers to anyone who grew up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional situation. This means that alcohol (or any substances) didn’t even need to be in the picture for you to possibly relate to a lot of this information.
Maybe one or both of your caregivers (parents or otherwise) struggled with substance abuse. But it could also be that one of your caregivers experienced borderline personality disorder, codependency, depression, domestic violence, narcissism, perfectionism, PTSD/CPTSD, sexual abuse, or another type of trauma.
And get this – even if your grandparents had these experiences, you could still be affected! 
- Did you grow up feeling anxious, worried, & unsafe?
- Did you experience conditional love?
- Were your caregivers intensely controlling?
- Did they use shame and punishment to keep you in line?
- What about boundaries – did your family members have any?!?
There are so many unhealthy aspects of family life that can cause a lot of damage…
So here’s the takeaway:
You are absolutely welcome to read, learn, feel, think, gain support, and grow at this website! And you never have to check off any certain boxes to be here with me.
If you feel like what I share on my site here resonates with you, first of all – I’m really sorry that you have experienced such hard things. But I’m also really, really glad you’re here! 
If you haven’t signed up to receive a free copy of my e-book Eat Me Alive: How Alcoholism & Addiction are the Zombie Virus…And How to Survive! – I’d love to send you one! If you’re interested, go ahead and click here and I’ll get that free book to you ASAP.