My name is Lindsay, and I am a recovering member of the ACA program.
I struggle a lot, sometimes every second of the day, to reconstruct my thoughts to more positive thinking with a stronger sense of self-worth as I reflect upon all of my experiences while living life in the grip of my addiction. Many years I find myself recollecting very few memories at all because of my blackouts and unconscious actions I performed without even realizing what actions I was performing.
All kinds of individuals have permanent scars, mentally and physically, as a result of this. Others are dead from products that I sold them on the streets or in the trap houses. Never will I forget the damage that I caused myself and others while being controlled with all the demons of my personal addiction.
I lived continuous periods of sobriety in and out of recovery meetings during my life, beginning in my adolescent years. Pretty soon, I noticed that I, too, had turned into a recovering addict that did nothing but memorize the program while slipping back into the grip of my addiction and spitting out recovery literature to all who were still suffering in those meetings. Leading by example never crossed my mind because I assumed I was safe.
Thanks to the ACA program of recovery, I have now learned how to lead by example. For instance, I can be honest about where I am at in my recovery program today without being judged. This means the world to me! I learned how to actually live the ACA program into my daily life rather than just reciting what it says to others.
I was able to handle the death of my mother earlier this year by using all of the principles I was taught in ACA. The four different versions of the “Laundry List” keep reminding me of how far I have come in living life and remaining “in the now” of the twenty-four hours I have before me.
Never will I be able to repay the ACA program for giving my life back to me and reminding me to remain in the “driver’s seat” of life, no matter what trials I face in it. I, Lindsay, am living proof that Adult Children of Alcoholics/Dysfunctional Families World Service Organization, Inc., works.
If you are reading this and still suffering as an adult child, please do yourself a favor and KEEP COMING BACK. WHY? ACA WORKS!
Lindsay P