coping with substance

abuse in your family?

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THERE'S NOTHING TO DO ABOUT IT NOW...

OR IS THERE?

 

If you are one of the millions of  adults who grew up with an alcoholic or drug abusing parent, chances are you think about it as little as possible.  After all, it was probably painful, and you may feel there’s nothing you can do now about what happened in the past.

 

While you may not like to admit it, inside you may still be carrying around the hurt and mistrust, the fear, shame, embarrassment and anger you felt so much of the time as a child.  You may have denied those feelings when you were young, and you may still ignore them today.

 

Click on the sections below to learn more:

You might also check out the information on special challenges you encounter as an adult who has grown up with an addicted parent

But think for a moment about what life was like in your family.   When you were a child, you probably couldn’t express any of your confused feelings to your parents, or even to your brothers and sisters.  You coped alone, as best you could.

 

As an adult, you may encounter the same feelings, and frequently you cope with them in ways you learned in childhood.  But now, the old ways may not work so well.  Mistrust, fear and guilt may still be with you, getting in your way and in the way of the people you care about.  To feel less self-conscious, less anxious and fearful, or less angry, you have to start by understanding what made you feel that way in the first place: your parent’s substance abuse.