Mankato- Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families

01/01/2026

Happy New Year! As we enter this new year may we all find our paths to healing together through support with each other.

09/18/2022

Got this diagram from Brainard ACA Facebook group.

08/26/2022

Words to live by

08/07/2022

Thought of the day:
Unconditional Love
Throughout our childhoods and into our adult years we feel the need to perform feats beyond our skills to feel any positive affirmation. This is also called “people pleasing,” which gives us the false sense of love but at the cost of a sacrifice from ourselves.
As the journey through healing continues we can start to identify the harm of the negative thoughts, feelings and actions that we learned to tolerate; and as we see it as toxic we can begin to change our mindset from negative to positive affirmations. Remember, this journey takes time. It is a marathon, not a sprint

08/06/2022

Thought of the Day:
Therapy
It seems that in our society today seeking help is viewed as ”weakness” or an “inability to perform.” That is not the case; seeking help through therapy and/or support groups has showed great improvement for those who wish to connect with others who are empathic to your story. As ACA’s we find it difficult to seek help in fear of someone else’s judgement or hearing the old phrases “you’ll be fine,” “don’t worry, that was from your childhood.” Things that do not help us heal from our trauma. Getting the help and building relationships we deserve from childhood and as adults will give us the tools to reparent ourselves and heal.

08/02/2022

ACA thought of the day (from “Strengthening My Recovery”)
Dissociation-
As ACA’s we may have been growing up where we are told (either directly or indirectly) to keep our emotions suppressed and through this situation; we learn to remove ourselves from how we feel and often lose our identities in the process.
Remember, it is okay feel emotions and it is okay to express how you feel. Allow yourself the time necessary to process the feelings and reach out to others on this journey of healing; we all support each other.

08/01/2022

https://open.spotify.com/track/02W7gkxX3cgmddUQeUMwJe?si=HgMruEByR1y-ICF7GspktQ
If there is ever a theme song for ACA, I definitely think this is it.
We may not remember the exact events of our trauma from our childhood, but our minds and bodies hold onto how we felt and how we reacted. During our healing journey it is normal that some memories return and this allows us to process.

Five Finger Death Punch · American Capitalist (Deluxe Edition) · Song · 2011