Growing Up with Addiction: How Adult Children of Addicts Can Heal Family Trauma, C-Ptsd, and Codependency

From the leading expert on adult children of addicts, an essential guide to healing wounds of growing up with addiction and family dysfunction

"Required reading for understanding the full picture of recovery, repair, and reclaiming our true selves."--Aimie Apigian, MD, author of The Biology of Trauma

Approximately 76 million adults in the U.S. share a family history of addiction. In this urgently needed resource, Dr. Tian Dayton draws on decades of expertise to help adult children of addicts (ACAs) recover from family trauma, reconnect with themselves, and heal relational wounds.

If you've grown up with a parent's addiction, it can leave a profound imprint on your development. Its ripple effects reach into every corner of adulthood--how you partner, parent, work, and form friendships. "Relational trauma weaves into the fabric of your life, shaping how you see yourself and the world," writes Dr. Dayton. "It can leave you questioning your worth, mistrusting intimacy, and feeling disconnected from your inner world." But it doesn't have to stay this way.

This book helps you explore the illness that shaped your family, understand the imprint it left on you, and set out on a path towards inner and relational recovery. "Healing begins with learning to distinguish real danger from old, outdated alarms," writes Dr. Dayton. "It requires tuning into your nervous system, tracing your automatic reactions, and gently questioning the distorted beliefs and fear states your wounds left behind." Throughout the book, you will learn how to:

- Process attachment wounds and cognitive distortions caused by gaslighting and denial
- Reawaken and reconnect with your body in ways that feel safe and grounding
- Understand your emotions and regulate them when they feel out of control
- Grieve unspoken losses and let your inner child find its own, authentic voice
- Heal from long-term CPTSD and codependency and find post-traumatic growth

Grounded in research, enriched by client voices and narratives, and filled with experiential processes, light a path unearthing buried pain and transforming it into meaning and purpose. This book empowers you to flourish in recovery, break the chain of intergenerational dysfunction, and create a compassionate and connected future for yourself and those you love.

Author: Tian Dayton
Publisher: St. Martin's Essentials / Sounds True
Published: 03/03/2026
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.63lbs
Size: 8.97h x 6.13w x 0.75d
ISBN: 9781649634245


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 12/01/2025 pg. 84

About the Author
Tian Dayton, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, senior fellow at The Meadows, and author of fifteen books, including The ACoA Trauma Syndrome, Emotional Sobriety, and Treating Adult Children of Relational Trauma. 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.