Emma Hough, Business Support Officer in the Capacity Tracker team at NECS, began volunteering for two alcohol support charities in early 2024, Alcohol Change UK and Nacoa (The National Association for Children of Alcoholics). In October this year, Emma was very proudly opted in as a Trustee for Nacoa and shares her story below.
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“Nacoa (The National Association for Children of Alcoholics) was founded in 1990 to address the needs of children affected by a parent’s drinking or similar addictive problem. This includes children of all ages, many of whom have problems that only become apparent in adulthood.
“I became a bereaved adult child of an alcoholic (COA) in 2016 after decades of worry about my mam, who was a functioning alcoholic to start with and became severely out of control near the end.
“As a COA, you feel relief that the ordeal is over with, which is indescribable, but what you don’t realise, with the years afterwards unpicking the past and understanding, outside of the situation, the reasons behind addiction, is that it becomes even more heart-breaking. The feelings of anger, love and hatred then love again all mixed in to one is an ordeal in itself.
“I found Nacoa after my mam’s passing and I feel that if I had them before, I may have dealt with the situation differently. This drastically changed my thought process and allowed me to start my recovery process.
“Alcohol dependency does not only affect the addict. It affects the people around them. I was asked to write a piece for Action for Addiction week. This year’s theme is ‘Addiction Affects Everyone’. The link can be found here: Caterpillars and Butterflies – Nacoa.
“At the beginning of the year after finally accepting my title of ‘child of an alcoholic’, I began volunteering for two alcohol charities: Alcohol Change UK and Nacoa.
“In October this year, I was very proudly opted in as a Trustee for Nacoa and I look forward to the opportunities this may bring in helping people like me be more open and honest and not feel like life is a secret.
“If you are a child of an alcoholic or know someone who has been affected by this, please share the Nacoa message, #youarenotalone. There is a wonderful community of us who understand and share the 6 Cs message:
I didn’t cause it
I can’t control it
I can’t cure it
I can take care of myself
I can communicate my feelings
I can make healthy choices.
“Nacoa also has a free helpline for any advice or a listening ear which is run by dedicated volunteers – 0800 358 3456.”
Nacoa link: Nacoa: Helping everyone affected by their parent’s drinking – Nacoa