Theme announced for #COAWeek2023

Announcing 🚨 the theme of #COAWeek2023 is ‘the family secret’.

When alcohol problems are in the family, rules develop—don’t talk, don’t trust, don’t feel—to keep problems hidden from the outside world, in an effort to keep the family together and ‘safe’.

This is not always a conscious choice but a reaction to the inability of parents to resolve problems in any other way than to ignore them.

‘The elephant in the room’ has become a common description for something that people know but prefer not to mention, e.g. drinking which is often described as ‘the hidden suffering in families’ and is likely to remain so until we dismantle the stigma associated with drinking and drug use.

Not all members of the family are as able as others to ignore or deny the problems. However, to speak out can sometimes feel like family betrayal or lead to isolation within the family unit.

COA Week is here to break the silence. It will be packed with ways to engage. Keep an eye on our socials for more information to come.

If you’d like to get involved, check out Ways to help.