This books has been incredibly helpful for me, an adult child of an alcoholic. I read it several years ago when a friend told me that my Dad was an alcoholic. My family always denied the truth, but after reading this book, I could no longer pretend that all was well in my family of origin. This book is very insightful and describes the intricacies of the relationships that exist in both functional and dysfunctional families. It's a great first step in discovering the underlying motivations for compulsive/obsessive behaviors that many of us exhibit.