Welcome to a forum dedicated to survivors. This is a place for us to share our stories of hope, healing, resilience, and recovery as we overcome our past, find our voice, and renew our lives.
VOICES OF COURAGE AND EMPOWERMENT
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Voices of Courage & Empowerment is dedicated to Adult Children of Alcoholics, (ACoA) (ACA) as well as Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA). We are here to break the silence, offer support, and shed light on the often unspoken challenges faced by those who grew up in homes where alcoholism, drug addiction and child abuse cast its confusing shadow. This is a platform for survivors to share their stories, find healing, and connect with a community that understands. As Adult Children of Alcoholics, we will empower each other and promote awareness about the unique struggles and strengths of an ACoA. I invite you to share your experiences of, healing and recovery, and highlight your inspiring stories of resilience. We'll discuss the impact of addiction on families, relationships, and personal well-being, and we'll provide resources to help each other along on this journey of healing. We are not alone, and we are not defined by our past. Together, we can find strength, support, and hope. Please join us on this journey of self-discovery, healing, and transformation. Stay in touch for articles, personal accounts, expert advice, and more. Our voices matter and every one of us can make a difference in the life of another. Thank you for taking the time to visit. If you would like to share your story or offer helpful information please contact me by completing the form on this page.
Let's embark on this path of healing and empowerment together.
OUR VOICE MATTERSLately, I have been thinking a lot about a particular story in the Bible. You know the one. The story of the prostitute. People standing all around this poor woman. The group was ready to throw rocks at her, condemning her, pointing their fingers at her, shouting at her, telling her and anyone else who could hear that she was no good. She was bad, and a reject of societies norms. The group believed she deserved to be stoned. Her accusers wanted to kill her. They wanted her to die. John 8: 1-11
What did Jesus do? He took his finger and wrote something in the dirt for all to see. (I wonder what it was he wrote) One by one this young woman’s accusers backed away and left the scene. I’m sure they were all feeling very much ashamed of themselves.
I had a conversation with God about this, and I asked him, “What happened to this woman as a child? Who was it that hurt her? Why wasn’t she protected? What was it that caused her to go into prostitution?
I think about what is going on around us in the world today. We don’t like to talk about what is uncomfortable. Our egos can be big and self-centered at times. We all want the world to accept us. We want to be loved. We don’t want to be stereotyped. So, we tend to walk away from the unpleasant. At times looking away from someone that needs our help seems much easier. This way we won’t have to get involved or face the memory of perhaps our own painful history. In a sense isn’t this like pointing our fingers in accusation toward someone?
Everyday there is a child and/or young adult that is abused. Did you know that the majority of abuse happens in the home. Incest, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect is everywhere but it is something no one wants to talk about or go near because it is too uncomfortable.
We absolutely despise the priests who have abused children. Yet for many children incest is happening in their homes from their very own family members. Abuse happens in every socioeconomic class. There is no particular race or religion that stands out. The abuse runs deep, and it is everywhere. It is done in secrecy and darkness.For some the abuse started early in the lives of children. This is what was deemed normal just as if they were learning to walk until later when their eyes open.
Many sick, dysfunctional families hide behind their church or their local communities as leaders pretending to care. Some are doctors, lawyers, teachers, members of law enforcement or the neighbor next door. Children are threatened not to tell, and they are made to feel shame. They are manipulated into thinking what has happened or is happening to them is all their fault and not their perpetrators.
This evil must stop, and this transformation will only begin if we start speaking up. You may feel triggered from the shame of your past as well; believing anything that happened to you was your fault too. You may feel, vulnerable not wanting the judgement and stigma that comes from speaking out or all of those other uncomfortable feelings we feel as well. But I guarantee you there are many out there in the world with similar stories. We are not alone.
When you are ready to share your story, you will find others wanting to share their stories with you. This brings empowerment. This brings validation, and unity in standing together not only for our own healing but in our fight for the children going through this pain now. We have to be a voice for the voiceless. Can we all please do this? If you see something, say something. Please say something.
When we walk away and do nothing we are just as guilty as the group standing around wanting to cast stones and kill the young woman in the familiar Bible story. This sounds harsh but when you really think about it this is what many of us as a society are doing now, and it’s wrong. We must call the abusers out. When we don't speak up, when we walk away dirty secrets are kept and the abuse will continue, but those of us who stand together for the children and for what is right will bring great changes. Laws will change to protect children. We have a choice. We all have choices. And we are responsible for our choices.
What did Jesus do? He took his finger and wrote something in the dirt for all to see. (I wonder what it was he wrote) One by one this young woman’s accusers backed away and left the scene. I’m sure they were all feeling very much ashamed of themselves.
I had a conversation with God about this, and I asked him, “What happened to this woman as a child? Who was it that hurt her? Why wasn’t she protected? What was it that caused her to go into prostitution?
I think about what is going on around us in the world today. We don’t like to talk about what is uncomfortable. Our egos can be big and self-centered at times. We all want the world to accept us. We want to be loved. We don’t want to be stereotyped. So, we tend to walk away from the unpleasant. At times looking away from someone that needs our help seems much easier. This way we won’t have to get involved or face the memory of perhaps our own painful history. In a sense isn’t this like pointing our fingers in accusation toward someone?
Everyday there is a child and/or young adult that is abused. Did you know that the majority of abuse happens in the home. Incest, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect is everywhere but it is something no one wants to talk about or go near because it is too uncomfortable.
We absolutely despise the priests who have abused children. Yet for many children incest is happening in their homes from their very own family members. Abuse happens in every socioeconomic class. There is no particular race or religion that stands out. The abuse runs deep, and it is everywhere. It is done in secrecy and darkness.For some the abuse started early in the lives of children. This is what was deemed normal just as if they were learning to walk until later when their eyes open.
Many sick, dysfunctional families hide behind their church or their local communities as leaders pretending to care. Some are doctors, lawyers, teachers, members of law enforcement or the neighbor next door. Children are threatened not to tell, and they are made to feel shame. They are manipulated into thinking what has happened or is happening to them is all their fault and not their perpetrators.
This evil must stop, and this transformation will only begin if we start speaking up. You may feel triggered from the shame of your past as well; believing anything that happened to you was your fault too. You may feel, vulnerable not wanting the judgement and stigma that comes from speaking out or all of those other uncomfortable feelings we feel as well. But I guarantee you there are many out there in the world with similar stories. We are not alone.
When you are ready to share your story, you will find others wanting to share their stories with you. This brings empowerment. This brings validation, and unity in standing together not only for our own healing but in our fight for the children going through this pain now. We have to be a voice for the voiceless. Can we all please do this? If you see something, say something. Please say something.
When we walk away and do nothing we are just as guilty as the group standing around wanting to cast stones and kill the young woman in the familiar Bible story. This sounds harsh but when you really think about it this is what many of us as a society are doing now, and it’s wrong. We must call the abusers out. When we don't speak up, when we walk away dirty secrets are kept and the abuse will continue, but those of us who stand together for the children and for what is right will bring great changes. Laws will change to protect children. We have a choice. We all have choices. And we are responsible for our choices.