Minute to Freedom Dan L. Hays - Author, Speaker, Radio Personality

Have you ever felt like everybody had to be OK with anything you did?  One of the traits I carried into adulthood from growing up in an alcoholic family was constantly seeking approval for my actions.

Has it ever seemed like you are numb to the events in your world?  It has for me.  When I was 8 my grandfather died, and the family acted as if nothing happened, and I felt no sadness or emotions about it.  I had learned to stuff my feelings, and carried that into my adult life.

Have you ever felt like a little kid in an adult world?  Remember the movie Big, with Tom Hanks?  I was in an adult body, but in many ways I was still 13 year old Josh Baskin, sitting in a dumpy motel room in New York City, scared to death.

Have you ever felt like you're responsible for everything that happens? Whatever is going on - somehow, it is your fault?  You are to blame.

Isolation is one of the most damaging effects of growing up in an alcoholic household. Like many adult children of alcoholics, I had this trait.

Has it ever seemed like there were chunks of your childhood you just couldn't remember?  I know most people have things they have forgotten, but what I'm talking about is where there might be blank spaces in your past.