09/22/2025
“Growing up in an alcoholic home, I thought that, maybe, if I was the perfect child, things would get better. So, I tried, and like a true Al-Anon, I was pretty darn good! I was terrified of making any mistakes and lived in fear of doing something wrong. While I noticed that my perfectionism did not heal my family’s deep problems, I carried on trying to be infallible as an adult.
“Coming to Al-Anon taught me several things about trying to be perfect. First, it’s impossible! Second, it’s exhausting. Third, it means living in fear all the time. And fourth, I learned that perfect people are annoying and not very lovable. I so wanted to be loved! When I looked at the kind, smiling faces at my home meeting and listened to members’ pain, challenges, joys, and strengths, I realized that I was drawn to their humanness, their quirks and fallibilities, and their relatability as fellow travelers on this journey of recovery. I wanted to live the kind of authentic life they were living.”
“Progress Not Perfection,” “The Forum,” August 2025
Find out how Al-Anon Family Groups helps people who grew with an alcoholic parent by reading members’ stories:
🔹 https://al-anon.org/newcomers/how-can-i-help-my/alcoholic-parent/
