Emotionally Sober and Unimaginably Good: The Adult Child's Guide to Living a Happy Life

Written by an adult child of an alcoholic who has lived the struggle and found a way forward--Emotionally Sober and Unimaginably Good is the emotional recovery guide you have been waiting for.

Millions of adults today grew up in households where one or both parents struggled with problem drinking, substance use disorder, or other dysfunctional behavior. Perhaps the most toxic aspect of such a background is that it can become an excuse for not finding true happiness and personal fulfillment. For some, this history leads to problematic adult behaviors like shirking responsibilities, lashing out at loved ones, self-sabotage, and substance misuse of their own. Others may become high achievers or perfectionists, using success as a coping mechanism and source of validation. Yet even successful adult children struggle beneath the surface--something author Megan DeMatteo knows firsthand from her experience working as a journalistic "money expert" while privately grappling with debt and financial shame.

Emotionally Sober and Unimaginably Good explores how DeMatteo broke free from her unhealthy emotional patterns shaped by living her childhood with an alcoholic parent. Unlike clinical takes on addiction and codependency, her story offers a raw, personal perspective that speaks directly to adult children longing for healing and emotional freedom.

Megan DeMatteo is a professional service journalist, a Yahoo! travel creator, and an editor whose work has appeared in major outlets and international publications. She holds a master's degree in creative writing from Lenoir-Rhyne University, as well as a graduate arts certificate in narrative healthcare. Her creative writing journey began with the personal diaries and mindfulness practices that helped her confront emotional truths she had long denied about how her identity as an adult child of an alcoholic shaped her life and behaviors. Through writing, she learned to gather, reassemble, and, finally, love the fractured pieces of her story--insight that now helps her understand the emotional and psychological challenges faced by people with similar backgrounds. She makes her home in the Mid-Atlantic, between Baltimore and New York City.