Today let’s talk about being a hero child.
One of the roles of an alcoholic family is to be the hero – the one who fixes the problem,
cleans up the mess from the drinking, and is viewed as a savior within that world.
I did that a lot, but discovered it was just a mask I was hiding behind, to keep people from seeing how scared and inadequate I usually felt. Sometimes I would try to be the hero when it wasn’t needed or wanted, and it would cause problems. I would rush in to places I had no business being, and make the situation worse by trying to fix it. Figuring out where I learned to be a hero gave me a lot of freedom to overcome it. I had to learn to mind my own business and take care of myself first, and let things just work themselves out.
Have you ever played the hero role?
Photo Credit
“Levi’s Halloween Costume” by Eric T. Morris @ flickr.com – Creative Commons – Some rights reserved.
Dan L. Hays offers encouragement for adult children of alcoholics.
The podcasts of these episodes can be found at: Minute to Freedom
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