From the leading expert on adult children of addicts, an essential guide to healing wounds of growing up with addiction and dysfunction

Approximately 76 million adults in the U.S. experience a family history of addiction. In this urgently needed resource, Dr. Tian Dayton draws on decades of expertise to help adult children of addicts (ACAs) recover from their familial trauma, reconnect with themselves, and heal their relational wounds.

Growing up with a parent’s addiction deeply impacts a child’s development. The ripple effects shape how ACAs partner, parent, work, and form friendships. “Relational trauma weaves into the fabric of your life, shaping how you see yourself and the world,” writes Dayton. “It can leave you questioning your worth, mistrusting intimacy, and feeling disconnected from your inner world.” But it doesn’t have to stay this way.

This book helps readers examine the disease that shaped their families, the imprint it left on childhood, and the tools to recover and thrive. Readers will learn to process attachment wounds, reconnect with their bodies, regulate emotions, grieve unspoken losses, and move toward post-traumatic growth.

Grounded in research, enriched by client narratives, and filled with practical exercises, this book illuminates the path to healing—unearthing buried hurt and giving the inner child a voice. It empowers readers to embrace and succeed in their recovery, break the chain of intergenerational dysfunction, and create a better future for themselves and their loved ones.