Your Go-To Resources
Discover the Best Tools and Resources to Help You
Whether you’re just starting your healing journey or you’ve been at it for years, the right resources can make all the difference. This page is filled with tools, communities, and insights that have helped me and so many others break cycles, build healthy relationships, and create lives we love. Explore these support groups, books, podcasts, and more—each one handpicked with you in mind. Take what serves you and know that you’re never alone in this.
Support Groups for People Who Grew Up Around Alcoholism or Ongoing Dysfunction
Al-Anon Family Groups
For people affected by someone else’s drinking. Offers understanding, encouragement, and tools for healing. You may need to try a few different meetings before you find the one that suits you best. Virtual, phone, and in-person.
Adult Children of Alcoholics® /Dysfunctional Families
12-step support for adults who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes, focusing on recovery from childhood trauma. Virtual, phone, and in-person.
Co-Dependents Anonymous
Support for people seeking healthier relationships and to shed codependency, especially helpful for those impacted by family addiction or dysfunction. Virtual and in-person.
SMART Recovery Family & Friends
Support meetings offering tools and encouragement for those affected by a loved one’s addiction. Focus is rooted in science and compassion. Virtual and in-person.
Recommended Books
Powerful Books on Healing for People Who Grew Up Around Alcoholism or Ongoing Dysfunction
These books helped me start healing as an adult child of an alcoholic and building a life I love. They’re packed with powerful insights to support you on your journey, too. Rooted in both lived experience and science, each one offers something unique.
Best Books for Living with an Active Alcoholic: Evidence-based Support
Living with an active alcoholic is incredibly tough but you’re not alone. These evidence-based books, including those on the CRAFT method, offer tools to help you cope, communicate, and protect your well-being.
Best Books to Help Kids and Teens Cope with a Parent’s Drinking
Kids and teens dealing with a parent’s alcoholism need stories that help them feel seen and understood. These books offer comfort, hope, and age-appropriate support to help young readers make sense of what they’re going through.
Learn More
Websites for Understanding Addiction & Alcoholism
Ready to understand addiction and what really happened to you and your family? These trusted websites are packed with up-to-date information and science-backed insights to give you clarity, validation, and wisdom for your healing journey.
Therapy Resources
How to Find the Right Therapist for You
Finding a therapist can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re not sure what to look for. This guide offers practical tips to help you find someone who truly gets you, understands trauma, and creates a safe space to heal. You deserve support that feels like a good fit.
What Therapy Can Do for People Who Grew Up Around Alcoholism or Ongoing Dysfunction
Therapy offers what many of us didn’t get growing up: a safe, supportive space to feel, heal, and grow. A skilled therapist can help you understand your past, break unhealthy patterns, and build a more peaceful, connected future, which is something that’s hard to do all on your own.
Recommended Podcasts
These standout podcasts offer honest stories, insights, and tools for healing from childhood trauma and growing up in a dysfunctional or alcoholic home:
SelfHealers Soundboard – Dr. Nicole LePera & Jenna Weakland
Real, relatable conversations about healing, reparenting, boundaries, and breaking generational cycles—grounded in holistic psychology. Check it out.
Tuesday Toolbox ACA
Stories of recovery and inspiration from fellow adult children of alcoholics and dysfunctional families, offering hope and shared experience. Recorded Adult Children of Alcoholics meeting in Brooklyn, New York. Check it out.
The Adult Child Podcast – Andrea Ashley
Unfiltered, humorous, and deeply honest conversations about recovery, personal growth, and what it’s really like to heal from a chaotic childhood. Check it out.
Ready for More Support?
Guidance to Help You Understand Your Past and Build a Healthier Future
You don’t have to sort through everything alone. If you grew up with an alcoholic parent, this free guide will help you take your next clear, confident step forward:
📘 5 Essential First Steps to Start Healing
Inside, you’ll find the clarity, insights, and gentle mindset shifts I wish I had at the beginning of my own journey.
👉 Download your guide and begin creating a life that feels calmer and more grounded:
🎥 Want weekly encouragement?
Subscribe to my YouTube channel for clear explanations, personal stories, and practical guidance designed specifically for people who grew up around alcoholism or other ongoing dysfunction.
You’re not alone.
Your story is still unfolding and you get to write the next chapter. 💛
