COMMON TRAITS OF ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS

Adult children of alcoholics may:

·         Have difficulty identifying normal behavior

·         Have difficulty following a project from beginning to end

·         Lie when it would be just as easy to tell the truth

·         Judge themselves without mercy

·         Have difficulty having fun

·         Take themselves very seriously

·         Have difficulty with intimate relationships

·         Overreact to changes over which they have no control

·         Constantly seek approval and affirmation

·         Fell that they are different from other people

·         Be super-responsible or super-irresponsible

·         Be extremely loyal, even in the face of evidence that the loyalty is undeserved

·         Tend to lock themselves into a course of action without considering the consequences

Experts agree that adult children of alcoholics who believe they have come to terms with their feelings can sometimes face lingering problems.  Support groups to contact include Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholics Foundation.