Apparently, my time has come to confess to the whole world, although it is not very easy - I grew up in a family in which my parents suffered from alcohol addiction. And they still suffer, what can I say. From the point of view of psychological health, this topic is very important. I would like to share a lot with you. In several posts. Adult children of alcoholics (or ACAs for short) come from families where one or both parents suffered from alcohol addiction. The child lived in special “abnormal” conditions, which particularly influenced the formation of his psyche and thinking. Needless to say, this, in turn, has an impact on his entire life. The first thing I want to note is that this child lived there in a constant state of insecurity and not knowing what this evening would bring to you, whether his parents would drink. And if they drink, there will probably be an argument and a fight, and you won’t get enough sleep at night. Of course, everyone had their own way. The child learns to constantly listen and look closely at the parent and predict (for example, a girl could understand what would happen to her today by the way her father inserted the key into the door lock). I myself could tell by my eyes, behavior and voice. The child cannot control the situation, so he learns to adapt to these conditions as best he can. This leads to chronic tension, constant worry, which gives rise to despair and emotional pain. It forbids you to be yourself. Second point: the child was in a constant state of fear. He does not have time to track any of his emotions, he constantly empathizes and monitors the emotions of other people. This pattern of behavior carries over into adulthood. Because of this, he cannot understand what he is feeling. Question: “how do you feel?” It just puts you in a stupor. And ignoring your feelings is even physically dangerous. When a person ignores or suppresses them for a long time, this heat goes into the body and physical illnesses arise. What is the connection with relationships? Yes, the most direct one. A person enters into a toxic relationship, where emotional dependence on a partner flourishes. In the following articles I will continue to promote this connection.