ACA, or 'Adult Children of Alcoholics' is a movement that has members who have learned to help themselves to develop better lives. Membership is wide-spread. In the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, ACA has a rather nice dedicated building.
These knowledgeable members of ACA have often been 'graduates' from other 12 Step programs such as Alsteen, Alanon, and AA. Many of the the individuals now benefiting from the knowledge circulating in ACA groups have never used alcohol or narcotics and did not grow up with alcoholic family members. The did, however, often com from families not fully functional.
ACA members learned the value of the 12 Steps from AA members. They began to learn to interpret and to work the steps from recovering and recovered AA members.
They began to identify their 'problem' more clearly and continue to do so. Generally, it was found, they had developed and deeply integrated 'coping skills' that were not working effectively for them.
By the 1980s ACA people were separating from Alanon and were getting useful information from the works of Claudia Black, Sharon Wegschnider-Cruse and similar workers in the field. ACA members began to develop an awareness of the value of reviewing their family history.
Some ACA members found themselves able to more clearly think and speak of sanity and reality. Some began to feel less need for anonymity, but continue to practice it. ACA continues to have a more open literature program than do most 12 Step programs.
