It Will Never Happen to Me

Growing Up with Addiction as Youngsters, Adolescents, and Adults

“Claudia Black’s insight is such the reader feels as if she was inside the addictive family system.” —John Bradshaw

First published 20 years ago, It Will Never Happen to Me is the definitive book/workbook for adult children of alcoholics.

With her reassuring and informative approach, Claudia Black expertly identifies common issues faced by children who grew up in alcoholic families—shame, neglect, unreasonable role expectations, and physical abuse. Using narratives and profiles, she describes survival techniques characteristic of children raised in alcoholic families, including the unspoken laws of don’t talk, don’t trust, and don’t feel. First explaining how such learned responses cause difficulties in adulthood, Black carefully guides readers in identifying self-defeating, destructive behaviors and finding a healthier, happier way to live.