THE EMPOWERED PATH FOR ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS BY JODY LAMB Hey, Reader. In high school, I hoped living far from school would keep my friends from seeing my mom drunk. But one Saturday afternoon, they did.“Hi, is Jody home?”“Jodyyyy,” my mom yelled from the hallway, stumbling toward her room. I forced a smile and invited my friends in. Inside, I was burning with shame.My secret wasn’t a secret anymore. Ten years later, I stood in a liquor store, now an adult in a scratchy suit and...
28 days ago • 2 min read
THE EMPOWERED PATH FOR ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS BY JODY LAMB Hi, Reader. In high school, I looked happy. I got good grades, played sports, joined student council, babysat, and worked a part-time job. I laughed a lot. Outside of our family and a few neighbors, almost no one knew the truth:I was constantly worried about my mom and her drinking, and I was barely sleeping at night. After college, I became a total workhorse logging 70–80 hour weeks for peanuts. I smiled. I appeared to love it....
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
THE EMPOWERED PATH FOR ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS BY JODY LAMB Hi, Reader! Ever say, "Therapy? Not for me. It won’t help.” That was me years ago. But let me tell you…therapy has been one of the most healing tools in my journey as an adult child of an alcoholic. Not because it fixed everything overnight…but because I finally had someone who got it: someone who understood what it meant to grow up in a home filled with chaos, silence, or emotional neglect. But here’s the truth most people...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
THE EMPOWERED PATH FOR ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS BY JODY LAMB Hi, Reader! It turns out… Those of us who grew up with an alcoholic parent tend to have shockingly similar traits as adults. When I first read Dr. Janet Woititz’s Adult Children of Alcoholics, it felt like she’d had a peek at my therapist’s notes. 👉Here’s the book, if you want to check it out I remember reading her list of 13 common characteristics of adult children of alcoholics and thinking: “That’s me. Oh wow. That’s also me....
2 months ago • 2 min read
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...
3 months 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?!...
3 months 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,...
4 months 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,...
4 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...
5 months ago • 5 min read