Bill Of Rights

1. The good times that I have longed for all these years and didn't get. "It's never too late to have a happy childhood".
2. Joy in life, right here, right now.
3. Relax and have fun in a safe, non-alcoholic and non-destructive way.
4. Actively seek out people, places and situations that will help me achieve a contented life.
5. Say "no" whebever I feel that something is not safe or I am not ready.
6. Not participate in either the active or passive dysfunctional behaviour of parents, siblings and/or others.
7. Take calculated risks and experiment with new strategies in life.
8. "Mess up"; Make mistakes, "Blow it"; disappoint myself and fall short of the mark.
9. Leave the company of people who deliberately or inadvertantly put me down, lay guilt trips on me, manipulate or humiliate me - including my alcoholic parent, or any other member of my family.
10. All my feelings.
11. Trust my feelings, judgment, hunches, intuition - and to know that I know what I know.
12. Develop myself as a whole person -  my emotions, my mind, my spirit, my body and my psyche.
13. Express my feelings in a non-destructive way, at a safe time and in a safe place.
14. Take as much time as I need to experiment with this new information and these new ideas and to initiate changes in my life.
15. Sort through what  learned from my parents - take the acceptable and dump the unacceptable.
16. A mentally healthy, sane way of existence, though it may deviate, in part or in all ways from my parents prescribed philosophy of life.
17. Grieve what I have lost out on - to allow myself to be angry, sad and confused at times.
18. Carve out my own place in this world. 
19. Choose to live my life the way I want to and not wait until my alcoholic/dysfunctional parent gets well, seeks help, or admits there is a problem.
20. Live in the now and choose to be happy.