Overview

From the leading expert on adult children of addicts, an essential guide to healing the wounds of growing up with addiction and dysfunction Growing up with a parent's addiction leaves ripple effects that can be felt well into adulthood. The trauma of familial dysfunction can weave into the fabric of your life, affecting relationships, parenting and work, and even leading to you questioning your own worth, mistrusting intimacy and feeling disconnected from yourself. But it doesn't have to stay this way. In this nurturing book, clinical psychologist Dr Tian Dayton draws on expertise from decades working with adult children of alcoholics, as well as her own personal experience, to empower you to embrace recovery and break the chain of intergenerational dysfunction. She will guide you as you examine how addiction shaped your family, understand the imprint it left on your childhood and discover tools to heal and thrive. You will learn to process attachment wounds, reconnect with your body, regulate emotions and move towards post-traumatic growth. Grounded in research, enriched by client narratives and filled with practical exercises based on Dr Dayton's own Relational Trauma Repair (RTR) model, this book will allow you to recover from buried hurt and give your inner child a voice, illuminating the path towards a better future for yourself and your loved ones.

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9781785046490

Table of Contents

Reviews

In Growing Up with Addiction, Dr Tian Dayton compassionately gives voice to the wounded child parts and burdens carried by adult children of addiction. This book offers not just insight but deep empathy – illuminating how internal systems impacted by addiction can find pathways toward integration, resilience and wholeness. A deeply needed contribution to both clinical and personal transformation. -- Richard C. Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems, author of No Bad Parts In Growing Up with Addiction, Tian Dayton offers a compassionate and insightful exploration of the intergenerational impact of relational trauma. By interweaving personal narrative, clinical wisdom and embodied therapeutic practices, she creates a compelling bridge between lived experience and emerging neurobiology. Her willingness to share her own history adds rare authenticity, keeping the reader engaged on a deeply personal level. Just as importantly, her decades of clinical practice bring depth, clarity and grounded insight to complex emotional and relational dynamics. This book serves as both an accessible introduction and a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand and heal the legacy of trauma in families. -- Dr Stephen Porges, creator of Polyvagal Theory, author of The Polyvagal Theory and Safe and Sound Tian Dayton’s integration of Somatic Experiencing (SE) into Relational Trauma Repair® (RTR) and psychodrama offers a powerful pathway for Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACAs) and those with complex PTSD to transform pain into embodied healing and relational repair. By blending SE’s body based trauma resolution with RTR’s structured emotional processing, the body finally gets to ‘speak’ the unspeakable – completing the story not just in words but through movement, sensation and presence, restoring coherence between the mind, emotions and body. The nervous system can find safety by completing decades of unresolved survival responses, offering a tangible path to healing for those whose trauma lives not just in memory but in the body itself. -- Dr Peter Levine, developer of Somatic Experiencing®, author of Waking the Tiger Dr Dayton has written the book I wish I’d had when I first began to understand how deeply childhood experiences shape us. What sets this book apart is its embodied approach; it doesn’t just explain why ACAs struggle, it shows them how to rewire their nervous systems through experiential practices. As someone who trains practitioners worldwide in addressing the impact of relational trauma on our biology, I can say this is required reading for understanding the full picture of recovery, repair and reclaiming our true selves. -- Aimie Apigian, MD, addiction medicine physician, author of The Biology of Trauma Tian Dayton’s new book is absolutely one of the best. Her writing and clinical work has helped so many families; her work teaches and touches. -- Robert J Ackerman, PhD, founding board member of the National Association for the Children of Alcoholics and Addiction, author of Perfect Daughters and Silent Sons Dr Tian Dayton brings a rare blend of clinical depth, lived experience and transformative storytelling to every page of this groundbreaking book. Dr Dayton’s insights are grounded in decades of clinical practice and research, and she communicates with clarity, compassion and practical wisdom that practitioners and readers alike can apply in real life. I wholeheartedly recommend this book as an essential resource for anyone dedicated to understanding and healing the impacts of trauma and addiction. -- Frances Black, senator and founder of the RISE Foundation, Ireland

Author Information

Tian Dayton, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, senior fellow at addiction treatment centre The Meadows and author of fifteen books on trauma and addiction. An award-winning scholar, Dayton is an internationally renowned speaker, expert and consultant in trauma, addiction, psychodrama and Adult Children of Alcoholics and creator of the experiential model Relational Trauma Repair (RTR). For more, visit relationaltraumarepair.com and tiandayton.com.

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