Adversity is not destiny

Lauryn Sutcliffe, a final-year Doctoral student in Counselling Psychology, shares findings from her research into the long-term relationship experiences of Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs).

She exmplres resilience, emotional wellbeing, and the diverse paths people take following childhood exposure to parental alcohol misuse. 

Childhoods shaped in deep and lasting ways

Growing up with a parent who misused alcohol can shape childhood in deep and lasting ways. Many adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) describe homes marked by unpredictability, emotional distance, or heightened responsibility at a young age.

Understandably, these experiences can leave lasting impressions, not only on how we see ourselves but also on how we connect with others.  

For decades, research has often portrayed ACOAs as more likely to experience difficulties with trust, intimacy, and emotional closeness in adulthood.

You may have read headlines suggesting that children of alcoholics are “doomed to repeat the past” or are “bound to struggle in relationships.” 

However, newer studies, including my own doctoral research, suggest a more nuanced and hopeful picture.

While the field is still developing, emerging findings indicate that the experiences of ACOAs in adulthood are far more varied than longstanding assumptions imply. 

What my research explored 

My study, The Role of Emotion Regulation and Perceived Social Support in Moderating the Impact of Childhood Exposure to Parental Alcohol Abuse on Adult Romantic Relationship Outcomes, set out to explore whether growing up with parental alcohol misuse predicts difficulties in adult romantic relationships and whether factors like emotional regulation and social support might protect against those difficulties. 

To do this, 79 adults, all of whom identified as ACOAs, took part in an online survey. They completed short questionnaires about their childhood experiences, current romantic relationship satisfaction, how they manage emotions, and how supported they feel by others in their lives. 

What my research found 

Early analyses did not identify a significant relationship between childhood exposure to parental alcohol misuse and adult romantic relationship satisfaction.

In this sample, higher exposure did not automatically predict lower satisfaction. Emotion regulation and perceived social support also did not appear to moderate this relationship in straightforward or measurable ways. 

Given the small sample size, these findings must be interpreted cautiously. Rather than suggesting that parental alcohol misuse has no impact, the results point to the possibility that the pathways between childhood adversity and adult relationship outcomes are complex, influenced by multiple factors, and not always linear. 

Equally, the findings highlight that emotion regulation and social support remain important psychological processes, even if their roles are not simple or immediately predictive. 

Emotion regulation refers to the capacity to notice, understand, and manage feelings – to ride emotional waves rather than be overwhelmed by them. 

Social support reflects the sense of being understood, valued, and connected to others. These are not quick fixes or singular buffers, but ongoing processes that contribute to wellbeing across many areas of life for ACOAs and non-ACOAs alike. 

What this means for ACOAs 

Although these findings are early and drawn from a small sample, they contribute to a growing body of work suggesting that the experiences of ACOAs in adulthood are far more diverse than once assumed.

Rather than pointing to a single predictable outcome, the research indicates that many different pathways are possible. 

For ACOAs, this offers a hopeful and empowering message. Your childhood experiences may have shaped aspects of how you relate to others, but they do not limit your capacity for meaningful, stable, or loving relationships.

Many people who grew up with parental alcohol misuse develop strengths such as emotional insight, adaptability, and deep empathy. These qualities often support connection and resilience throughout adult life. 

At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that some individuals may still experience challenges linked to their past, and that additional factors – such as family environment, life experiences, or even heritable influences – may also play a role.

Recognising this complexity does not diminish your strengths; instead, it affirms that your story cannot be reduced to a stereotype or a single trajectory. 

What emerges from this research is a reminder that resilience is not the absence of difficulty, but the presence of growth, effort, and support.

ACOAs are not defined by adversity alone. Many have shown an impressive ability to reflect, heal, and build relationships that feel safe and nurturing. These capacities deserve recognition. 

In other words: your past is part of your story, but it is not the blueprint for your future. 

Challenging the “broken” narrative 

Too often, society views children of alcoholics through a deficit-focused lens, emphasising only pain, dysfunction, or presumed “damage.” This narrative is not only incomplete. It can be harmful.

It can lead people to internalise the belief that they are destined to struggle. Or that their childhood experiences make them unlovable or fragile. 

The reality is far more complex and far more hopeful. While some ACOAs do encounter relationship challenges, many form fulfilling, stable, and loving relationships. 

Resilience theory helps explain why: adversity interacts with protective processes, such as emotional insight, problem-solving, and meaningful relationships, to produce a wide range of possible outcomes.  

What makes the difference isn’t whether you had a difficult past, but how you’ve made sense of it, and the strengths you’ve developed along the way. 

No two ACOA stories are the same. 

A message for reflection 

If you grew up in a home affected by alcohol misuse, you may carry mixed and sometimes conflicting emotions, such as love and anger, sadness and strength, loyalty and loss. These feelings are all valid.

Healing does not mean forgetting your past. Rather, it involves acknowledging your experiences while recognising how far you’ve come and continuing to care for the parts of you that had to adapt. 

Ask yourself: 

• How have I learned to cope, connect, or care, despite or because of what I’ve been through? 

• What strengths have supported me through hard times? 

• Who supports me now, and how can I nurture those connections? 

These reflections are not intended to minimise the impact of childhood experiences, but to help reclaim a narrative of growth, capacity and continued development.  

Looking ahead 

For professionals, these early findings emphasise the importance of viewing ACOAs as individuals, not as a single “at-risk” group. Curiosity, compassion, and a balanced recognition of both adversity and adaptability are essential in therapeutic and research contexts. 

For ACOAs, the message is one of hope and empowerment. Early experiences can shape us, but they do not define who we become. Resilience, healing, and love are all possible, and they often grow in the very places we once felt most uncertain. 

You are not alone, and your story, with all its complexity, matters.