INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE/NOVEMBER 8, 1988

 

WMI Children who grow up ina
home with an alcoholic parent
learn survival traits to deal with
the pain, anger, fear and
misunderstanding.

But these traits are not some-
thing they will necessarily leave
behind in adulthood.

Instead, "the survival traits
that people use to live in a dys-
functional home often continue
into adulthood," says Sandy Ber-
man, who instructs a course
through the Community
Programs division called Adult
Children of Alcoholics.

This three-hour seminar "of-
fers a glimpse about what being
an adult child of an alcoholic is
@" about," says Berman.

 

It is not intended to provide

 

 

odult Children of Alcoholics

therapy or definitive answers to
each participant’s problems. In-
stead, the course covers the
effects on adults, and also looks
at community resources avail-
able to help these adults.

Berman says that children of
alcoholics can carry certain pat-
terns of behaviour with them
into their adult lives. She says
these adults often suffer from a
repetition of the addiction or
another type of compulsive be-
haviour.

Or they get into a relationship
with another person who has
compulsive behaviour, "so they
can repeat the patterns they
grew up with," she says.

But people can be helped to
break through these patterns.

 

 

In the first half of the class, a
representative from the self-help
group, Adult Children of Al-
coholics, talks about the ACOA
meetings and what the organiza-
tion can offer its members.

In the latter half, Berman
talks about the traits of adult
children of alcoholics, shares
her own experiences and looks
at strategies for healing.

Adult Children of Alcoholics
is scheduled for Wednesday,
November 16, from 7 p.m. to 10
p.m, at the New Westminster
campus.

Call 520-5479 for more infor-
mation.

 

 

W

 

It’s Coming! November 14th

Wed like you to give more.
And we need more of you to give.

My

United Way

 

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