[GaSusan]

It was recently brought to my attention that some of my anxiety issues could be a form of PTSD from growing up with alcoholic parents, anyone have any input on that?

[Open Eyes]

Hi GaSusan,

Yes, some people can develop PTSD from the constant abuse they suffer through from living in the dysfunctional home that alcoholic parents can present. It was my therapist that discussed this with me and it was not something I really thought about tbh.

If a child is raised by parents that neglect them or behave dysfunction ally because they are alcoholics, the child may be bullied or genuinely struggle with a sense of safety. This actually can be "traumatic" for a child, and that ongoing trauma can add up where "yes" the child can suffer from crippling anxiety issues and yet not understand "why" and depending on how dysfunctional their environment actually was, can lead to their developing PTSD or what is called Borderline Personality Disorder.

If you are struggling it is helpful to see if there is an ACOA group meeting near you. These individuals may also be working with therapists that understand this challenge and are very helpful. It can be a way to get a name of a good therapist for you to spend time with, even a therapist that is willing to work with you at a lower cost if you struggle financially.

Hope that helps

OE

[StrongerMan]

We usually think of PTSD stemming from extremely violent experiences like war. But the stress of growing up in such an unpredictable, fearful, volatile environment of alcoholism is much the same. For many ACoA's, an angry person (boss) can be like a car backfiring for a combat veteran with PTSD. It is a trigger that puts us right back in the dysfunctional family environment (the war zone) and we respond with our go-to defense mechanisms. One manifestation of this is a near constant state of hyper-vigilence for danger with an exaggerated and prolonged fight or flight response (anxiety) to that perceived threat.

[GaSusan]

At first i was taken aback because i grew up in a "decent middle class family" and my parents didnt abuse or neglect us, i thought....but when you grow up with alcoholics you learn how to act, what to do etc....its a lifestyle for everyone. I always though i had it better than most because growing up when i did things like that werent talked about and many others lived with much worse. One of my biggest problems with anxiety comes from instabilty and who can be stable around alcoholics all there life? Unfortunately as of yet there is not a ACOA groupd near me but i plan to pursue it.

[Open Eyes]

GaSusan,

As you know by now, this is a problem that happens in "all" classes of people. If you can't find an ACOA meeting near you, look for an Al anon meeting. Often what happens is ACOA groups form but they don't show up online etc. You can meet people who will understand your challenge even at Al anon meetings and they may know of an ACOA group that is meeting in your area.

When you go to one of these meetings, you don't have to talk and often the other people try to respect your space too, believe me they know how uncomfortable you may feel, they know it well. The best thing to do is just go and "listen" until you decide you want to talk.

I grew up with a binge alcoholic father, and a binge alcoholic husband, they were both functional. I didn't even know there was such a thing as binge alcoholism. Binge alcoholics can be nice people, but they do have a problem and it does affect others in their families.

You may not have PTSD, however, you may have an acute anxiety disorder that is stemming from living with alcoholic parents. Yes, it can happen in an average middle class family, there are many families that hide this dysfunction quite well too.

(((Hugs)))
OE

[leomama]

Originally Posted by GaSusan

It was recently brought to my attention that some of my anxiety issues could be a form of PTSD from growing up with alcoholic parents, anyone have any input on that?

I have PTSD from growing up in a dysfunctional family (not alcoholic, although my mom accused my dad of being one). I recommend getting a copy of the big red book of ACA, it talks a lot about PTSD.

[StrongerMan]

Like everything else, alcoholism runs along a continuum of instability, to borrow your word. I never really categorized my father's alcoholism once I was old enough to understand it. But I knew he only drank beer and pretty much only after getting his paycheck on Friday and then Saturday too. I had a sense of feeling lucky at least that he didn't use hard liquor or drink constantly or beat us. He always had a good union manufacturing job and provided well enough for our family. My few friends who met him would think he was great (he treated strangers much nicer than family). So while he may have been "functional" in some areas of life, he was most certainly dysfunctional in profound ways as a father which deeply affected me emotionally. My therapist is an avid proponent of EMDR which is used to treat PTSD. For whatever reason it didn't do much for me although I am open to trying it again. My suspicion is that is has a more obvious benefit for those who've suffered more severe psychological trauma.

[GaSusan]

My father died when i was 15 of all things, alcoholism, he was a retired Marine who worked for a national newspaper and drank beer everyday....i cant ever recall seeing him drunk. When he died i went to a few al-anon meetings, my mother was a drunk...never abusive but a drunk and wasnt there a lot of the time, there was six of us so we looked out for each other, thats what you did back then. I thought making a conscious effort not to go down that road then alcoholism no longer had a hold on me..HA HA. My mothers family has a history of anxiety problems and when i was 35....ten years after i had been diagnosed, i found out my mother had the exact same problems i had and that is what caused he to start drinking. The term is self medicating. The one time she brought it up my father and her family thought she needed to be locked away in a mental hospital and this was probably sometime in the late 50s early 60s so you can imagine how scary that was. I have the big red book it was given to me and have started it and will continue to address this. My one big regret is i lost my mother ten years later and as much as i loved her then i have so much more respect for her now and feel so bad because now i understand why she did the things she did and when i was younger all i did was blame her. She was a fantastic woman who i miss very much.

[Open Eyes]

I am not sure anxiety is inherited, I have a feeling it may be passed down from a parent's own history of dealing with their dysfunctional family environment. In other words, your mother most likely grew up in a dysfunctional home where she developed stress and anxiety and that got to a point where along with her also dealing with an alcoholic husband, she began to self medicate with alcohol.

Back in the 50's and 60's, while alcoholism was known about, there were a lot of psychological challenges that were not very well understood like they are now.

The important thing is you are learning now and looking to learn more and get support for yourself.