frequently asked quESTIONS and helpful links

• Answer: Yes, they are more likely than others to marry alcoholics - many COA's choose partners who are alcoholic or who have some other addiction.  

• Answer: Yes, a child who is loved on day and rejected the next may have trouble developing meaningful relationships.  

• Answer: Yes, chronic alcohol abuse effects those nerve cells which perform certain vital functions, including the ability to gather information. Adolescents, because their bodies and brains are still developing suffer greater harm from alcohol than do adults. 

Answer: Children of alcoholics tend to: 

• be fearful of other people, and experience difficulty with authority figures 
• be approval seekers 
• isolate themselves 
• become alcoholics, marry them, or both 
• suffer from compulsive behaviors 
• live life from the perspective of a victim 
• feel guilty when they assert themselves 
• place concern for others above concern for themselves 
• suffer from low self esteem 
• fear abandonment 
• be addicted to excitement 
• have difficulty expressing feelings 
• confuse love with pity and tend to "love" people they can "pity" 

Answer: Yes, don't drink!