The messages that we give to ourselves are the most important messages we hear. The internal briefings and conversations we hold determine our attitudes, our behavior and the course of our lives. If, as children, we were criticized and shamed, our internal dialogue will be self-deprecating. If we are used to large doses of self-imposed sarcasm and negative reviews of our daily performance, we gradually mutilate our self-esteem, our creativity and our spirit.
As adult children of alcoholics, we can continue to remain in the past and believe the negatives that we were taught; or we can change our beliefs with affirmative thoughts that can set us free into better and more expansive experiences. What we choose to believe will ultimately rule our world.
Affirmations are a way to wake us up–to make us fully conscious and aware of the daily choices we make. And, as we learn to direct our thoughts, our feelings and behavior will naturally follow.
It’s Not Just for ACOA Any More I am not the adult child of an alcoholic. I am, however, the product of a dysfunctional family, and recommend daily use of this book for all who struggle with the self-image issues born of family (or non-family!) histories that are fraught with obsessive or abusive behavior.
This book has changed my life. Being ACOA I first got this book about 12 or so years ago and have been reading it daily with my morning meditation. It has helped me shake a lot the baggage I brought out of my alcoholic home and to be the person I want to be playing by MY rules.