What is ACA (ACoA) ?

Adult Children of Alcoholics is a recovery program for adults whose lives were affected as a result of being raised in an alcoholic or other dysfunctional family. It is based on the success of Alcoholics Anonymous and employs its version of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.
Do my parents need to be alcoholics? 

No ! If you can identify with The Problem or have several of the characteristics of the "Laundry List"   ACA will benefit you.
What is a Higher Power ?

ACA is a spiritual program, based on no particular religion or set of beliefs but rather an understanding of a power greater than ourselves that can aid us on our path to recovery. This Higher Power is as diverse as the individuals of the group
Where is a meeting ?

For a list of all the known ACA meetings please go to the Meetings Page. Then you can verify the meeting of your choice by calling the local phone number. Just as individuals recover and grow meetings are born and die as the need arises or declines. WSO tries to keep the meeting information current but cannot guarantee that every meeting listed is active. See the next section for other options if there are no ACA meetings listed in your local area
What is the cost ?

ACA is self-help, self-supporting program and according to our Seventh Tradition we finance our own way. If you are financially able we ask for a small contribution at each meeting.
Is ACA a religious organization?

ACA provides a Spiritual path to recovery; it is not a religious organization, nor is it affiliated with any religion. 

As a Twelve Step organization, each person is encouraged to seek a Higher Power, or God, of their own understanding. For some, this may well be the God of their religious background or affiliation, the God of their church, synagogue, or mosque. For others, their Higher Power many simply come to be the supportive energy they feel and appreciate within their ACA group meeting. Still others come to replace a fearsome God of their childhood upbringing with a loving God, or Higher Power, they can come to trust. 

However we see God, as we work the ACA Twelve Steps of recovery, we find we cannot work our recovery program alone and instead come to rely on that Higher Power, or God, of our understanding to restore us to sanity.