Out of the Storm

CPTSD and Others => Our Relationships with Others => General Discussion => Topic started by: Londongal on August 27, 2018, 06:28:03 PM

Title: UK support groups
Post by: Londongal on August 27, 2018, 06:28:03 PM
I'm looking for an in person support group for CPTSD and haven't had much success to date. I feel like connecting in person really helps me. I attended a group last year via Meetup for a while but it closed down after a couple of months.

Today I went to an AcoA meeting ( Adult Children of Alcoholics/Dysfuntional Families) https://adultchildren.org/ I was physically and emotionally abused by my parents, they weren't alcoholics but I wanted to try it out to see if it would be relevant. I'm not a natural '12 step person' as I'm not religious, but I went a lot to an eating disorder recovery one about 5 years ago which did help. Anyway, I wondered if anyone has any experience of ACA or anything else like it that might be useful?

It can feel pretty lonely going through this alone, and I've found that in person groups can be really useful in grounding me. I'm not sure on the ACA group, but will try out a few meetings to see how it goes.
Title: Re: UK support groups
Post by: Blueberry on August 27, 2018, 07:07:32 PM
I occasionally went to a 12 Step type support group for adult children of addicts of 'all kinds' - so parents who were workaholics, codependents, alcoholics, eating-disordered, love addicts, severely depressive: the works. I did feel quite well understood and found the Literature described my problems beyond my own addictive behaviour really quite well. Unfortunately there are no even faintly close meetings.

Presumably ACoA is similar (I'm not in an English-speaking country, it's called something different here). Ime it's worth trying that kind of group out a few times just to see if it clicks.

There's also something called SMART though I've never been and I don't know how trauma-informed it could be (or not). From another part of the forum: "SMART Recovery (Self-Management And Recovery Training) is not a 12-step group, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

Our Approach

* Teaches self-empowerment and self-reliance.
* Encourages individuals to recover and live satisfying lives.
* Teaches tools and techniques for self-directed change.
* Meetings are educational and include open discussions.
* Advocates the appropriate use of prescribed medications and psychological treatments.
* Evolves as scientific knowledge of addiction recovery evolves."

Self-empowerment is certainly a good thing to develop when healing from cptsd.

I think there is also a UK support group announced here somewhere on the forum, but I can't find it offhand.
Title: Re: UK support groups
Post by: Blueberry on August 27, 2018, 07:15:46 PM
Here's the information I was looking for: http://cptsd.org/forum/index.php?topic=9934.0

You may find more listed if you check this whole thread: http://cptsd.org/forum/index.php?board=18.0 Just keep scrolling  :)

Good luck.
Title: Re: UK support groups
Post by: Londongal on August 27, 2018, 07:23:50 PM
Thank you Blueberry, that's so helpful!  :)

Yes, ACoA sounds pretty similar to the ones you mentioned, I'm going to try out a few more meetings and see how it goes.

Thank you for the SMART info, I've never heard of it and there's one really near to me! I'll check it out  :)
Title: Re: UK support groups
Post by: Gromit on September 13, 2018, 06:06:03 AM
I have been going to an ACA group for a few months, I found their big red book really helpful. My parents were dysfunctional rather than alcoholic but I did have a drinking boyfriend in the past and was in Al-Anon for years which I found also helped with my FOO.

The group has also started a step working group working through their large yellow workbook.

We get some visitors from other groups around the country so there seem to be several although most other members seem to have got there via AA and other 12 step groups first.

G