Families in Recovery

I am reminded daily. I see an ad for Smirnoff. Or I come across a story in the paper about a drunk driving arrest. The list of celebrities owning up to their alcoholism grows every day. My past, my story, is very much a part of my life. And even if there were not triggers blanketed across society, I'd still have moments of reflection, where my history feels awake and present.

My story, the story of my life so far, is important. It is important to me and it is important to my family. I would also argue that it is also important for other children of alcoholics.

By sharing my story, I offer COAs insights into my life's journey. This is not valuable because I got everything right (laughable), or because my experiences are so singular and informative (describes everyone). My story is valuable because all stories matter.

The simple act of sharing my experiences feels right, feels important. And for many children of alcoholics, reading the stories told by other COAs is helpful. We need to read about our collective experiences. We need to hear these stories so we can understand our own history.

The OneStory Project is an opportunity to read, to learn, and hopefully for many of you, to share. Share as much or as little of your story as you like. You can share your first name only, your full name, or we will publish anonymously if you want. We have many children who visit the site, so please keep that in mind. We will edit for clarity and have the right to not publish anything we deem inappropriate for the site.

Please email your story or questions.