Average customer rating:
- Great Book
- Excellent insights
- EPIPHANY!
- Adult Children of Alcoholics
- The book that changed my perception of myself...
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Adult Children of Alcoholics
Janet G. Woititz
Manufacturer: HCI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Codependency
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Similar Items:
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Struggle for Intimacy (Adult Children of Alcoholics series)
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Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics
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Perfect Daughters (Revised Edition)
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Lifeskills for Adult Children
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It Will Never Happen to Me: Growing Up With Addiction As Youngsters, Adolescents, Adults
Accessories:
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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
ASIN: 1558741127 |
Book Description
Ten years ago, Janet Woititz broke new ground in our understanding of what it is to be an Adult Child of an Alcoholic. Today she re-examines the movement and its inclusion of Adult Children from various dysfunctional family backgrounds who share the same characteristics. After more than ten years of working with ACoAs she shares the recovery hints that she has found to work. Read Adult Children of Alcoholics to see where the journey began and for ideas on where to go from here.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book .......2007-09-21
If you are the adult child of an alcoholic this book is a must read. It brings to light things that many have felt, but have not understood why.
Excellent insights.......2007-09-10
This book was amazing. The insights into personality traits and situational details was extremely helpful. If you don't understand the issues, you cannot solve the problems and this book was very clear in describing some of the problems and how they came about when living as a child of (an) alcoholic(s). I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in the issues that come about as a result of being an ACA without being too heavy-handed. I couldn't put the book down.
EPIPHANY!.......2007-08-07
This is the grandmammy of all books written about, for and by Adult Children of Alcoholics. I first read this in 1987 and it was a personal epiphany. It held up a mirror to my beliefs and behaviour, explained a lot of things I didn't understand about myself, helped me realize that I was not alone and gave me hope that I could change my life. I recommend it to anyone who comes from an alcoholic or dysfunctional home.
It's a very basic book and one that is perfect for someone just beginning the recovery journey. It is also an excellent book to return to again and again.
Adult Children of Alcoholics.......2007-03-17
Recommended by my Doctor, I was a little skeptical. But, It's really an invaluable read to anyone who has ever grown up or dealing with someone who is a child of alcoholism.
The book that changed my perception of myself..........2007-03-08
I am so glad I read that book. It saved me from a life without knowing myself. It helped me in so many ways. I would suggest this book to anyone and everyone. It is for someone who has dealt with addiction before.This book helps you deal with it in a child or a spousal way. Thank you
Book Description
Have you ever heard of your inner child? Well, this is the classic book that started it all. In 1987, Charlie Whitfield's breakthrough concept of the child withinthat part of us which is truly alive, energetic, creative and fulfilledlaunched the inner child movement. Healing the Child Within describes how the inner child is lost to trauma and loss, and how by recovering it, we can heal the fear, confusion and unhappiness of adult life. Eighteen years and more than a million copies sold later, Healing the Child Within is a perennial selling classic in the field of psychology. And it is even more timely today than it was in 1987. Recent brain research, particularly on the effects of trauma on the brain of developing children, has supported Whitfield's intuitive understanding as a psychiatrist. About HCI Recovery Classics HCI's recovery backlist contains some of the most important and best-selling works in the recovery field. These books are still sought after today, selling more than 100,000 copies per year. Our new line of branded books features expanded editions of our top recovery titles, new introductions, updates on pertinent recent developments in the field, and contemporary new covers and packaging.
Customer Reviews:
Not for the average person.......2007-09-14
I thought this was hard to follow and written more for a psychologist than an average person.
Thrift store book changes Janis' life.......2007-05-17
In a thrift store at Christmastime my daughter swiped this book off the shelf and tossed it in my basket. As one of the other reviewers of this book said, I had thought references to "inner child" work to be hokie and I never gravitated toward formal Inner Child Work. With 12+ years in recovery in AA, AlAnon,and Co-dependency I was completely surprised to find a true "layer of the onion" would be removed and that this book would be a classic form of "more will be revealed" (recovery slogans). I just ordered a copy for my cousin whose childhood mirrored mine. She too has been in a form of 12 step recovery for about the same time as I. I would caution someone new to "looking at themselves" to get a therapist first and/or at least some of Melody Beattie/Carolyn Mysse's work under way. This book digs very deep----to places I have been exploring for a long time. It would flip my PhD sister out who has never done any recovery work....the going "family opionion" is that the only problem in the family was my drinking. The family opinion is dead wrong. I am the lucky one, I had a visible disease channel me into a life of living in the solution, not the problem. Give this book a try!!!!!!!!! It was the best Christmas gift I got last year!
Finding Support on the Path to Healling From Abuse.......2007-03-10
Along with other books by Charles Whitfield, this book provides a sensitive, supportive path and permission to release your hidden child within, the child that guards your freedom and your soul, the child that guards the blossoms of your virtues and gifts that are waiting to grow you into the full person you were meant to be. It allows you to say, "I was an abused child. I grieve for the stunted paths I've followed because I could not find the way to say this soon enough and release the gifts that belong to me, and to STOP asking WHY (since a dead person can't answer), but to speak outloud: 'You did this to me and I did not deserve it. It was not my fault. And I am furious. I am finally furious for the crippled life I was left to lead, and the sick pain and depression that have been my struggle.' " Then you can bring forth that hurt child and weep with, rage wih, and comfort that child. You feel like a split personality for a little while but you will heal. You will find joy. You will never be sorry. I am 69.
Healing The Child WIthin.......2007-03-09
Used for my final project in my Psych course. Very helpful with showing stategies that can be applied to help those who have suffered during childhood. My paper earned an A+
bored me.......2006-11-02
this book may have helped others, but it severely bored me. i had and extremely disturbed childhood. this book was just too basic for me, i dont feel it was written very well at all.
Book Description
Here is Claudia Black's best-selling classic on the experience and legacy of being raised in an addictive household. In an all too familiar scenario, played out in millions of homes everyday, children who grow up in addictive families abide by certain rules: don't talk, don't trust, don't feel. And they take on rigid survival roles--the responsible child, the adjuster, the placater, the acting-out child--that are youthful coping behaviours which can eventually contribute to problems of depression, loneliness and addiction in adulthood. Using poignant personal stories, revealing explanations, and helpful exercises, Black helps readers gain personal insights and develop new skills that lead to a healthier, happier, more fulfilling life. While continuing to recognize alcohol as the primary addiction within families, this newly revised edition of "It Will Never Happen to Me" broadens concepts to include addictive disorders involving other drugs, money, food, sex and work.
Customer Reviews:
Really good.......2007-05-15
This is a great read for anyone who has grown up or is growing up in an alcoholic family. It helps the reader in very simple ways to understand the dynamics of alcoholic families and offers concrete ways of dealing with issues and problems. I recommend it to anyone currently dealing with alcoholism or dealing with the aftermath of an alcoholic upbringing, or even for someone just curious about the effects of alcoholism on families.
awakening.......2006-01-18
This book was recommended by my therapist and after reading it I gave it to a friend who is also an adult child of an alcoholic. I haven't got the book back so I'm buying another copy for myself. I NEED to read it again and again. It opened my eyes and put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together for me. Although it's hard to face some of the realities this book points out, I believe it to be one of the vital steps I am taking in trying to change my life for the better. It's never too late.
accurate and helpful.......2005-10-29
claudia black is a respected author in the field of addictions. she writes for adults and children for both alcoholics and their families. i have read many books in this area and she is one of my favorite authors. the book is short, accutate,compassionately written, and forever timely. worth reading!
Excellent Insight into Who I am and Why.......2005-08-07
I read this book AFTER reading ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS by Janet Woititz. Both provided me with insight into a problem I only recently realized I have. However, Black's book is both easier to read and has more detailed analysis. She divides ACoAs into four categories: The Responsible One, The Adjuster, The Placater, and "Acting Out". I fit the profile of Responsible in every way. I now understand myself better, and am beginning therapy for the first time in my life at the age of 55. Thank you, Dr. Black, for opening my eyes!
Great book.......2005-01-28
This book is a must-read for everyone who grew up in an alcoholic family.
Book Description
Janet Woititz, mother of the recovery movement, sensitively addresses the barriers of trust and intimacy that children learn in an alcoholic family. She provides suggestions for building loving relationships with friends, partners, and spouses.
Customer Reviews:
A MUST READ!.......2007-05-09
If you have ever felt abandoned, this book is for you. If you had a parent who was unavailable when you were younger (work, alcohol, drugs, divorce) this book is for you. If you are constantly struggling through relationship, after relationship, after relationship, this book is for you!
I can't say enough about it and how much it has helped me. I thought I was "over it" as my father had quit drinking and we have a wonderful relationship now; however, this book covers how you were brought up. Sure, I had a loving home and didn't not "want" for anything - but little did I know what the daily grind made me into. This is a MUST read!
I loved this book.......2003-07-21
If you are an ACoA (Adult Child of an Alcoholic), I recommed this book and all of the books by Janet Woititz. I've read many of them, they are easy reads and so informative. It is really helpful to learn about other's experiences and struggles, and to hear advice on how to help you now. My favorite part of this book is the chapter called "So, you love an ACoA..." and is good for your partner to read to help them understand things like why you might overreact to certain situations or have such a negative view of yourself. Don't be turned off by the old cover, mine looked like it was from 1960 or something, the book is not outdated by any means.
essential.......2003-06-26
as a partner to an ACOA this is a must read for anyone involved in this kind of relationship. easy to read, easy to understand, and full of AHA! moments. great information!
I learned about healthy relationships.......2003-03-01
I thought I knew about relationships and how to make one work and what it took to keep one going. I thought my past failures were a product of bad timing. I did not see why I went after the wrong people, prused bad situations and stayed when I should have left. This book opened my eyes and changed my perspective. It was brilliant.
One of just a few practical help books.......2002-04-05
Woititz has written several books aimed at helping "Adult Children of Alcoholics" (ACA). I recommend all of them. This book is based on the problems ACAs (and others from troubled homes) have in beginning and maintaining close relationships. She gives practical advice rather than the usual "cuddle your inner problem child" blather that some books give. All of her books are based on 10-12 things that most ACAs have in common. These things are listed at the front of each book and I recommend that each reader start there. If this list strikes a chord with you, then get the book! Among the list are: ACAs wonder what normal is. ACAs lie when they could just as easily tell the truth (I didn't believe this of me until a friend pointed out a few). ACAs have a hard time changing their course even when it's obvious that they should (I'm paraphrasing this one). Check it out!
Average customer rating:
- Great insight and solutions for both addicted & family.
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Changing Course: Healing from Loss, Abandonment and Fear
Claudia Black
Manufacturer: Hazelden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Adult Children of Alcoholics
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Similar Items:
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It Will Never Happen to Me: Growing Up With Addiction As Youngsters, Adolescents, Adults
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Black Swan: The Twelve Lessons of Abandonment Recovery
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The Journey from Abandonment to Healing: Turn the End of a Relationship into the Beginning of a New Life
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Repeat After Me
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"It's Never Too Late to Have a Happy Childhood": Inspirations for Inner Healing
ASIN: 1568387997 |
Book Description
In Changing Course, the best-selling sequel to It Will Never Happen to Me, Claudia Black extends a helping hand to individuals working their way through the painful experience of being raised with addiction. "How do you go from living according to the rules-Don't Talk, Don't Trust, Don't Feel-to a life where you are free to talk and trust and feel?" Black asks. "You do this through a process that teaches you to go to the source of those rules, to question them, and to create new rules of your own," she explains. Using charts, exercises, checklists, and real-life stories of adult children of alcoholics, Black carefully and expertly guides readers in healing from the fear, shame, and chaos of addiction. Key features and benefits a proven seller by a trusted recovery author presents a clearly articulated process for healing excellent self-help resource for overcoming the experience of abandonment
Customer Reviews:
Great insight and solutions for both addicted & family........1998-10-05
Claudia Black has an inside track of what it feels like to be a family member in a family where addictive behavior is going on. She is able to write in understandable fashion the complex dynamics that go on in addictions and recovery. She never fails to understand the heart and soul and the sheer pain involved in addiction; she also provides insight and solutions for healing. Great work! All her work is very insightful. This is an author who cares about those who read her books.
Book Description
It is estimated that as many as 34 million people grew up in alcoholic homes. But what about the rest of us? What about families that had no alcoholism, but did have perfectionism, workaholism, compulsive overeating, intimacy problems, depression, problems in expressing feelings, plus all the other personality traits that can produce a family system much like an alcoholic one? Countless millions of us struggle with these kinds of dysfunctions every day, and until very recently we struggled alone. Pulling together both theory and clinical practice, John and Linda Friel provide a readable explanation of what happened to us and how we can rectify it.
Customer Reviews:
Not a very good book.......2007-01-09
Unless you are a child of an alcoholic or grew up in this type of environment, I would not recommend this book. There are other types of dysfunctional families but they are not discussed in as much detail as alcoholics.
Thank You.......2006-11-05
I have worked in mental health for about 4 years now. I am very good at what I do but came to realize that I have been too busy helping others rather than taking care of myself. All of this is pretty ironic to me. This book caused me to open my eyes and see that I have some issues that must be dealt with. This book has given me the motivation and courage to seek help. I never thought I was part of a "dysfunctional" family but could identify with many aspects of this book that really hit home and helped me understand what was going on a little better. As the author says it is very important to keep an open mind, be honest, and let go of our denial that acts only as a defense mechanism to cover up the underlying problem.
insightful.......2006-08-20
This very well written books offers insights about who we are as a person and why we are the way we are. I found the book very comforting because it reinforced what I was feeling inside. This book also gives advice about how to change. I think that even if you don't come from an "abusive" family you should read this book because I know that everyone can relate and learn from it in many ways.
Nobody teaches this stuff. Read it!.......2006-03-30
Excellent. A bit dated but timeless content. The beginning and end speaks to AA type meetings but it's not the main focus of the book, co-dependency is, which just about everyone deals with growing up. Quick read. There are a few short stories featuring animals that are sprinkled between the chapters, adding levity and a moment to escape and explore how the new information may serve you. My favorite, The Goose, whose parents told her not to leave the pond despite her feeling sick but she finally did leave and discovered she was right. The family unit unknowingly puts family members into positions and then keeps them there unable to see the dysfunction. Once one family member took action leaving the others behind the others eventually followed. If one family member is acting out and you don't know why it is not always the issue of the one who is acting out, look beyond, look to yourself first. Highly recommended.
wow.......2006-03-16
Illuminating and frightening. We all have baggage and until we find a place to safely store it, those closest to us are also burdened with it. The ideas in this book promote taking responsibility for our actions, looking into the motivations of those actions, and examining the source of our attitudes without placing blame on anyone. It's a great book about growing up to be healthy and facing one's demons without guilt. It's a relief to read this material and know that it's OK to feel a certain way, and even better to feel that healthy change is possible.
Book Description
This new edition of Perfect Daughters, a pivotal book in the ACoA movement, identifies what differentiates the adult daughters of alcoholics from other women. When this groundbreaking book first appeared over ten years ago, Dr. Ackerman identified behavior patterns shared by daughters of alcoholics. Adult daughters of alcoholics-"perfect daughters" -operate from a base of harsh and limiting views of themselves and the world. Having learned that they must function perfectly in order to avoid unpleasant situations, these women often assume responsibility for the failures of others. They are drawn to chemically dependent men and are more likely to become addicted themselves. More than just a text that identifies these behavior patterns, this book collects the thoughts, feelings and experiences of twelve hundred perfect daughters, offering readers an opportunity to explore their own life's dynamics and thereby heal and grow. This edition contains updated information throughout the text, and completely new material, including chapters on eating disorders and abuse letters from perfect daughters in various stages of recovery, and helpful, affirming suggestions from Dr. Ackerman at the end of every chapter. This book is essential for every one who found validation, hope, courage and support in the pages of the original Perfect Daughters, as well as new readers and every therapist who confronts these issues. Also includes: a comprehensive reference section and complete index.
Customer Reviews:
Wake Up Call!.......2006-11-04
I bought this book through a suggestion from a co-worker. When I received it at work in the mail, I opened the cover, checked out the chapters and turned to one in particular. I read only half the page and broke down crying. The truth is written in these pages. I have given a copy of this book to my sister. I recommend that if you are an adult daughter of an alcoholic parent, that you read this book. It ISN'T your fault, you are a valuable human being and it's about time that YOU take charge of your life. Get strong, face the truth, conquer your fears, find peace within yourself. No one says it's not going to hurt. Facing ourselves is the hardest part. Getting well is the reward. I can let go of the past and learn from it or I could go on holding a grudge. Good-bye Mom, sorry you were so sick from alcoholism. Hello new life, I am reborn. I am a wonderful human being. Thanks to this book I can say these things. It will take time to heal, but I have a new start because my eyes have been opened and I don't want to make the choices I've made in the past. I don't have to make those choices anymore, I am set free from the truth of my "brainwashing" of childhood.
Perfect Daughters.......2006-02-24
This book was so helpful with it's insight into the experience of having an alcoholic parent. It is written well, easy to follow and answers questions you didn't even know you had. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to people like myself who are at the beginning of their quest for the truth and don't want to read a book that feels too clinical and complicated.
A cheesy way to earn a living.......2006-02-21
Having recently come to understand the role of my alcoholic parents' habits in my development as an adult, I have been seeking every possible source for information and strategies for dealing with my own behavior problems. I have found some wonderful sources -- Janet Woititz' books, for example. I had high hopes for this book, Perfect Daughters since I am such a freak but what I got was a book written in large print, at a level merely approaching 6th grade, that is 40% this man's clients' letters. His analysis is facile and offers nothing new. Yes, we all feel this way; yes we all share certain qualities, but anyone who's done only minimal research will discover this very soon. This book offers nothing new. I feel ripped off by the book's "promises", insulted by the writers' tone and plethora of marginally relevant quotations clearly pasted from quotes.com. Don't buy this book; check it out of the library and get what good you can from it. There is some there, but not $10 worth.
The Perfect Daughter.......2004-01-17
I am a child of an alcoholic Mother. I try very hard to avoid books that talk about adult children of Alcoholics becuase they usually make things sound very over technical and impersonal. I am not a very emotional person and I know the decisions I make in my life are because of my families alcoholic issues. However, this was a book that was not very hard to read and I would highly recoomend it. After reading the very first story and bawling my eyes out about that little family princess who never understood and was always trying to make it okay, I knew the book was for me to read. That's ME!!! That's ME!!! I kept saying over and over. Ironically I highlighted every sentence and passage that had to do with my childhood and feelings in the book and I believe I ended up with 90% of it highlighted. I couldn't help to think that someone had a hidden journal on my heart and feelings growing up. If only that person had stepped in when I was young what a difference it would have made. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!
An epiphany of understanding!.......2002-07-23
While my family was not one of staggering drunks and physical or overt verbal abuse, this books sheds light on why I feel the way that I do! It's easy to get turned off at first by the overt drunks experiences of many of the people's stories presented here if you yourself didn't experience that. The MOST valuable part of the book is a look at different personality traits that you may have developed during your not-so-normal childhood. This books points out the positive things that ACoA's have learned from their experiences and how to use those to our greatest advantage, while understanding and working on some of the traits we developed that are not useful to us as adults. I highly recommend this book - and that you read it several times!
Book Description
When they were first released in the 1980s, Janet Woititz's groundbreaking works, Adult Children of Alcoholics, Struggle for Intimacy and The Self-Sabotage Syndrome, provided a new message of hope to adult children who had grown up in the shadow of alcoholic parents. Their message today is as profound and timeless as it was two decades ago. Now, in this complete collection, readers will learn again the insight and healing power of Janet Wotitiz's words. The Complete ACoA Sourcebook is a compilation of three of Dr. Woititz's classic books, addressing head-on the symptoms of The Adult Children of Alcoholics syndrome and providing strategies for living a normal life as an adult. Readers will find help for themselves: at home, in intimate relationships and on the job. They will discover the reasons for the way they think, believe and feel about themselves; ACoAs often feel isolated, have difficulty in relationships, in the workplace and in feeling good about themselves. Readers who are familiar with Woititz's work will find wisdom once again in this classic collection. Those new to ACoA will gain fresh insight into their behavior patterns and find an avenue for self-love and healing. Noted ACoA expert Dr. Robert Ackerman, author of the best-selling Perfect Daughters and Silent Sons, provides a foreword and explains why Janet Woititz's message will continue to help millions of readers for generations to come.
Customer Reviews:
Always wondered?.......2007-06-08
I'm 60+ years old and always wondered why in certain areas of my life I seemed to be just a 'cog off' in many of my thoughts and reactions to life. This book was one 'ah-ha' after another. I had worked through many of the 'glitches' on my own but it was a good feeling to finally understand from where they had come. Not in a blaming way, just in an understanding way. I would recommend it to anyone from an alcoholic family who 'wonders' why they react in ways that are not 'the norm' and have needs that they have spent a lifetime trying to fill without being able to.
Clarifies tendencies of Adult Children.......2007-01-14
Although this book was helpful, I also recommend "Life-skills for adult Children" by Janet Woititz, because this book is thin and contains specific advice.
Valuable Analysis.......2006-02-02
This was one of the most informative and helpful books I've read on the subject. It helped define the specific issues all ACOA's face and yet may not have realized were related to the experience.
I'd highly recommend this book to all ACOA's and all of their family, friends or lovers that want to understand their loved one.
Book Description
"It is my feeling that debilitating shame and guilt are at the root of all dysfunctions in families," says Jane Middelton-Moz. A few common characteristics of adults shamed in childhood: You may suffer extreme shyness, embarrassment and feelings of being inferior to others. You don't believe you make mistakes, you believe you are a mistake. You feel controlled from the outside and from within. You feel that normal spontaneous expression is blocked. You may suffer from debilitating guilt; you apologize constantly. You have little sense of emotional boundaries; you feel constantly violated by others; you frequently build false boundaries. If you see yourself in any of these characteristics, you can learn how shame keeps you from being the person you were born to be and how to change that. Shame And Guilt describes how debilitating shame is created and fostered in childhood and how it manifests itself in adulthood and in intimate relationships. Through the use of myths and fairytales to portray different shaming environments, Dr. Middelton-Moz allows you to reach the shamed child within you and to add clarity to what could be difficult concepts. Read Shame and Guilt - you're worth it.
Customer Reviews:
Great.......2007-06-17
This small book is about much more than the difference between shame and guilt. It is about degrees of shame (to the point of debilitating shame), ways that children are shamed, the consequences, characteristics of adults shamed as children and a lot more. One specific topic that I found extremely interesting was the explanation of grandiosity as a response to debilitating shame, which makes this book required reading for people with this symptom (such as alcoholics and families; bipolars may also benefit). Great condensed book.
Excellent book.......2006-11-01
I read this book cover to cover and I plan reading it again. The author does and excellent job of explaining how shame and guilt are transmitted across generations and how shame effects people. I especially like the fable she use in chapter one to illustrate the giant chameleon and perfect personalities and how they interact in a family. The illustration of Giant and Chameleon on oposite ends of the spectrum and the human being in the healthy middle was very insightful. I also liked the example she gave of how a shaming family handled a dispute between there sons and how a nonshaming healthy family does it.
This book has taught me a lot and given a lot of insight into my condition and my family. It has also helped me and my wife to be better parents to our children. I would recomend it to anyone who is dealing with these issues.
Couldn't Put It Down: Full of Insight.......2005-03-18
Never really thought about the difference between shame and guilt until I read this book. Guilt being when we blame our behavior in a given circumstance and shame being when we judge our very being. It has made me think twice about how I parent my own children and discipline their behavior. Eye-opening !
I found this book very helpful.......2002-05-29
I remember having this book recommended to me years ago at the now closed "Journey's Bookstore" in Beaverton, Oregon. The woman who recommended it had actually heard the tape edition of this book first and was placing an order for the book version. She told me that it made her "cry for the child within her." I thought that any book that had such a powerful affect as this, must be a book I should read.
I ordered the tape and book edition. I listened to the tape version first (which was of the author talking to an audience about the content of this book), and then I read the book. The two together were quite powerful. The most interesting thing about this book was that it differentiates between "guilt" and "shame." The author says that often we use the two interchangeably. But the author says that they are actually two different things. The author says that guilt is "the feeling that what you have DONE is wrong," and that shame is "the feeling that what you ARE is wrong."
An absolutely illuminating book for shamed adults........1998-07-22
An amazing book that touches at the very core of the feeling of shame. If you feel there is something fundamentally wrong with you, or feel you're hiding awful secrets inside you - read this book! Shame lies at the very heart of so many problems; this book is a great start towards healing that shame.
Book Description
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Adult Children of Alcoholics -- a wonderful book that affirms and encourages AcoAs by developing skills for living. Imagine how good you would feel if: You could stand up for yourself without losing your temper You could make a decision without second guessing yourself You didn't have that sense of worthlessness every time someone criticized you You could learn how to say no and stick with it In Lifeskills for Adult Children you can learn how to do these things and more. This book is designed specifically for Adult Children and teaches skills to make your complex adult life easier, while improving your sense of self-worth. Examples are provided to help clarify the lessons and exercises are given to help you practice your new skills. So, if you have difficulty: Asking for what you want Solving problems Handling criticism Saying no read Lifeskills for Adult Children - you'll be glad you did.
Customer Reviews:
Very practical.......2007-02-08
The skills taught in this book can be used from the day I read it.
Although there is enough number of books analyzing abuse, this book is different because it is so helpful in coping with life for adult children like me.
"Excellent ".......2005-09-11
For years I have struggled with poor social and communication skills which caused me great frustration. This book was written for people like myself who have grown up in the shadows of alcoholism and consequently did not develop some key life skills as a result of the alcoholic environment. This book is a must read. it is thoroughly well written, with examples and instructions on how to develop the life skills needed. i especially liked the chapter that focused on conversation clues, which gives scenarios that can be used in everyday life. Wonderful!!
Not enough detail for my taste.......2003-01-26
I'm a veteran of the "adult child" genre, and as I was reading this book, I found myself thinking that other books in my library covered this ground much more effectively for my taste. I found the tone of this volume somewhat simplistic and the sample person-to-person interactions a bit forced (which I suppose is the point), but that made it hard for me to relate to them or imagine myself carrying out the sample exercises.
Personally, I got a lot more out of _Adult Children of Abusive Parents_ by Steven Farmer, which deals with many of the same topics but uses far more detail and more real-life examples I could believe actually happened, and that made a big difference in whether I felt able to take the advice to heart. (Details ARE important to me, and I felt like _Lifeskills_ was light on them: My copy may be 200 pages long, but it uses a suspiciously large font and liberal line spacing -- only 28 lines to a page.)
There's also a curious convention _Lifeskills_ uses -- three small stylized icons of a man tilting back a bottle of wine, which are used as section separators! Given that many "adult children" have one or more alcoholic parents, this really made me cringe.
If you've never read any other books in this genre, this is probably an OK place to start. I just found that with some other books on this topic I'd read, I got more "bang for the buck."
An Invaluable Resource.......2000-04-16
"Lifeskills" is one of those books everyone should own. It deals with the personality traits inherent in those from dysfunctional families (primarily, children of alcoholics) and presents "normal" functioning skills which children of alcoholics often do not learn. Even if one is not a product of an alcoholic environment, this book gives an excellent view of healthy, "normal" responses to life's daily situations.
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