"If your parents did not drink, your grandparents may have drank and passed on the disease of family dysfunction to your parents. If alcohol or drugs were not a problem, your home may have been chaotic, unsafe, and lacking nurture like many alcoholic homes." BRB p. 18

Great! Granny did it to Mom and Mom did it to us! What chance do we have of being able to get well?

Even though this was passed down through the generations until it finally got to us, and perhaps to our children and grandchildren, who do we blame? Can we really blame Mom or Granny or even Great Granny? Indeed, none of them intended to pass this baggage down to us. But here it is: ours to unpack.

Fortunately, we have the best chance of them all to do something about it. Today we have a much better understanding of the multigenerational nature of trauma transmission. And this understanding is constantly evolving. We are fortunate to be part of a wonderful human experiment to reverse the effects of generational family dysfunction and achieve emotional sobriety.

Like most experiments, we start with a premise: that we can build a life of stability, safety and nurturing. As we toil in the laboratory of our lives in recovery, we find just the right mixture of experience, analysis and spiritual principles, and issue daily progress reports to our fellow travelers and our Higher Power.

On this day I will note the progress I have made in finding my emotional balance, and give myself the privilege of believing I can and will recover.