THE EMPOWERED PATH FOR ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS BY JODY LAMB Hi, Reader. The first time my therapist brought up healing my "inner child,” I laughed. “Place a photo of little-kid Jody on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror,” he said. Laughing, I blurted out, “Seriously?” My face said it all: This is ridiculous. He explained: “This way, every morning, you’ll be reminded to take good care of yourself because you’re also taking care of her. That will guide your healthy decision making.” I...
15 days ago • 2 min read
The Empowered Path for Adult Children of Alcoholics By Jody Lamb Reader, You’re your own worst enemy. Anyone ever say that to you? When things finally start going right...do you somehow mess them up? Does self-sabotage arrive on cue and suddenly, you’re right back where you started? Sound familiar? If so, you’re a lot like me, Reader. I used to be really good at sabotaging my life. Like, if self-sabotaging was a sport at the Olympics? I’d be a gold medalist.🥇 Why do we do this to ourselves?!...
29 days ago • 2 min read
The Empowered Path for Adult Children of Alcoholics By Jody Lamb The first time I set a real boundary with my mother, it felt super wrong, Reader. I told her, “I love you and I will always be here for you. But I will no longer answer your phone calls at night when you’ve been drinking.” She called me selfish. That word echoed in my mind for days. And for the next 20 nights, she called anyway. Every single time, I did not answer. Ignoring those calls was excruciating. Each time my phone rang,...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
The Empowered Path for Adult Children of Alcoholics By Jody Lamb You’re way too hard on yourself, everyone says. But inside you think, “I could’ve done it better” and “I’ll never be satisfied with myself and anything I do.” Sound familiar, Reader? As adult children of alcoholics, we share many common traits. Perfectionism is one of them and it’s a real jerk that causes self-sabotage. A Personal Moment of Truth Early on in my career, perfectionism and lack of satisfaction trapped me. One day,...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
The Empowered Path for Adult Children of Alcoholics by Jody Lamb Before I could think myself out of it, this shook from my lips: “Hi. I’m Jody.” I stared at the center of the table cluster, shocked that I’d begun speaking. It was my first Al-Anon meeting. “Hi, Jody,” greeted me in all directions. I uncrossed my arms and looked up to acknowledge the thirty sets of eyes staring at me. Some people smiled and some shifted in discomfort at the awkwardness of my delay and obvious fear. “I’m a...
2 months ago • 5 min read
The Empowered Path for Adult Children of Alcoholics by Jody Lamb I am an adult now. That was my first thought on my 25th birthday 🎂, Reader. My car insurance would move me into a new bracket, labeling me less risky than a 24-year-old driver and rewarding me with a lower premium. Yep, I was a bona fide adult. But I didn’t want to be. Adulthood meant I’d truly failed at my childhood and teen years' quest to finally convince Mom to stop drinking. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I pulled my...
3 months ago • 3 min read