ACA WSO

ACA WSO Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)/Dysfunctional Families is a Twelve Step, Twelve Tradition program of people who grew up in dysfunctional homes.

This page is intended to provide ACA info only. Cross talk or inappropriate language is not permitted. Find an ACA meeting online or in your area. https://adultchildren.org/meeting-group/

Amends
04/27/2026

Amends

04/26/2026

Trait Five

“We live life from the viewpoint of victims, and we are attracted by that weakness in our love and friendship relationships.” BRB p. 14

This Trait was hard for some of us to relate to. “Don’t call us victims,” we thought. “We made it through hell and back. We were tough.” The idea that we marched through the world choosing sick people was almost offensive.

It took awhile to come out of our denial. We learned about para-alcoholism and codependency and that, without help, we were destined to continue recreating the past.

We started seeing the truth in our daily lives – how our feelings of hopelessness very often had come from thoughts like, “The world is too big for me to handle,” and “I just can’t make it.” We recognized that we felt like victims who were being taken advantage of. We noticed how we habitually avoided people who seemed self-confident because we didn’t know how to talk to them, and they didn’t seem to “need” us. We’d felt uncomfortable around them but didn’t know why.

When we understand that we are truly powerless over other people, but not ourselves, we discover our willingness to change. The 12 Steps give us a blueprint to follow to become self-confident and assertive – the very type of person we had always avoided but secretly wanted to be all those years. We begin to attract others who are self-confident.

On this day I will be aware when I feel unequal to others. I will stop and affirm that I am just as important as everyone else.

© COPYRIGHT ACA WSO INC.

Own Person
04/25/2026

Own Person

04/24/2026

Connection

“This connectedness in relationships is characterized by expressed feelings, trust, mutual respect, and an acknowledgment that a Higher Power is real.” BRB p. 265

One of the worst things we may have felt as kids was a sense of aloneness, feeling connected to nothing and no one. We then became adults who were aching inside to find a connection to something. Often we found this with people who weren’t good for us, or we found a temporary sense of connection through food, drugs, s*x, alcohol, serial relationships, our children, our spouses, and others who maybe seemed to “have it together.” Most things we tried felt good for awhile, but soon we felt lost and empty again.

In ACA we realize that this lack of connection is not our fault, and we aren’t unique. To survive our childhoods, we had to disconnect to protect our hearts. But the longer we’re in this place now, the more horrible is the pain we experience.
We find recovery from this pain by working the Steps and uncovering our real identities. We learn that the answers are inside us, and that connecting with a Higher Power helps us find those answers. We begin relating to our True Selves as we learn to express our feelings. This helps us finally start to feel connected to others in a healthy way.

On this day I will remember that I am a real person who is capable of having true connections with others. I do this by believing in myself and my Higher Power.

© COPYRIGHT ACA WSO INC.

We’ve recently launched a series of blog posts written by anonymous ACA members for you to read. Each week we have a new...
04/23/2026

We’ve recently launched a series of blog posts written by anonymous ACA members for you to read. Each week we have a new submission that covers the teachings of ACA.

Read the full blog post here: https://tinyurl.com/2dwxks8n

Want to submit an article of your own? Learn about our submission requirements here: https://tinyurl.com/rx8zcu2c

04/23/2026

Grief and the Older Member

“Many older members will speak of finding their grief by working the Twelve Steps or by sitting alone quietly and feeling the feelings that arise.” BRB p. 200

Older members with years of experience attending meetings, sharing, fellow traveling, and giving service from a space of love may have reached a point where they’re able to just sit quietly and allow feelings to arise. Their daily practice over time has afforded them this wonderful gift.

Because for many long-time members the use of the program’s tools has become second nature to them; as their feelings arise they allow them to flow out, like hot air naturally rises into the infinite sky. The continuous daily work of taking the Steps draws their grief work out from the depths of their psyche in a gradual and gentle way.

They are worth listening to as they recount their experience, strength, and hope. But they will also be the first to admit that they don’t know all the answers; that they learn each day from newer members who can be wise beyond their time in the program. That is the nature of this fellowship. Grief work is part of the healing process that spans all ages and periods of longevity in the program.

On this day I will work a daily program of recovery. As I am ready, I will receive all the gifts of my grief work arising to meet me.

© COPYRIGHT ACA WSO INC.

The promises - by working the program we can see the promises coming true for us. Get the printable PDF list here: https...
04/22/2026

The promises - by working the program we can see the promises coming true for us. Get the printable PDF list here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxnk937

Persistence
04/22/2026

Persistence

These were our little children, why couldn't we do things better? And the guilt began to plague us. We didn't yet realiz...
04/21/2026

These were our little children, why couldn't we do things better? And the guilt began to plague us. We didn't yet realize that the effects from our childhood were so ingrained in us. No matter what we promised ourselves, no matter how sincere we were, we repeated the same behaviors.

In ACA, we are relieved to hear others speak about the same guilt, about their inability to be the parents they want to be. It's a relief to know we aren't alone.
We learn that the way to heal the relationships with our own children is to first heal ourselves by recovering from the baggage we've carried from our childhood. As we do so, we begin to lift our heads and free ourselves from the guilt that is keeping us stuck. We begin to change the way we do things.

On this day I will focus on my own recovery and heal myself first, knowing this is how I will have the most positive impact on my loved ones.

Excerpt from Daily Affirmations: Strengthening My Recovery.
Get your copy here: https://tinyurl.com/2vy873ff

04/21/2026

Step Two

“One purpose of Step Two is to introduce the idea of keeping an open mind on the possibility of a Higher Power who can restore sanity.” BRB p. 107

For many of us, the wounds are deep when it comes to trusting anyone, especially a Higher Power that is often referred to as God. We have a history of feeling deeply disappointed by most of the people and resources in our lives, including the God we were taught to believe in and pray to.

As a result, when some people in our meetings refer to their Higher Power as God, we have trouble identifying with them, or maybe even accepting that such a concept is real. But Step Two is meant to show us that we have a support system available to us; that we have different options besides going it alone. We can find a Higher Power to help us, and that Higher Power can be whatever we want it to be. There are no rules. However, if we are going to recover from our childhood dysfunction, we are going to have to learn to trust someone or something to help us.

On this day I will learn to trust that I have a Higher Power willing to help me. It may be the group, it may be a feeling of calmness when I experience nature, or a traditional God of my understanding. It’s entirely up to me.

© COPYRIGHT ACA WSO INC.

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90755

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Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
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