My CEN was a direct result of two factors: 1. The traumatic upbringing my mother endured, sharing a home with an alcoholic and verbally abusive father (my grandfather), and a rather spiky, cold, and distant mother of her own (my grandmother), and, 2. Both my parent's functional alcoholism which arose out of the cocktail culture of the 50's, and stayed as a permanent fixture in their lives . It was their go-to coping system, whenever things got even a little stressful. Before long , it was just a habit for them.

My brother and I suffered the bulk of their neglect. I realized this before I was completely out of my teens. But being so young, I did not have any idea of how it would go on to affect the rest of our lives. I began a course of self-help very casually, on my own, trying to analyze how their behaviours influenced my development and my thinking.

I have realized it would probably be a good time for me now, finally (since I can read whole books again and actually retain what's in them), to re-embark on some recommended reading on the topics of both CEN and being the Adult Child of Alcoholic Parents.

Any suggestions as to where top locate the first are gratefully accepted (I already have the material for the ACOA aspct of my life).