A timely, voice-driven memoir-meets-manual for the millions of adult children of alcoholic and dysfunctional parents looking for support. Written by high-achieving financial journalist Megan DeMatteo, whose compelling story of her hidden struggle and path to healing will resonate with the hurting adult reader.
Written by an adult child of an alcoholic who has lived the struggle and found a way forward--Emotionally Sober and Unimaginably Good is the emotional recovery guide you have been waiting for.
Millions of adults today grew up in households where one or both parents struggled with problem drinking, substance use disorder, or other dysfunctional behavior. Perhaps the most toxic aspect of such a background is that it can become an excuse for not finding true happiness and personal fulfillment. For some, this history leads to problematic adult behaviors like shirking responsibilities, lashing out at loved ones, self-sabotage, and substance misuse of their own. Others may become high achievers or perfectionists, using success as a coping mechanism and source of validation. Yet even successful adult children struggle beneath the surface--something author Megan DeMatteo knows firsthand from her experience working as a journalistic "money expert" while privately grappling with debt and financial shame.
Emotionally Sober and Unimaginably Good explores how DeMatteo broke free from her unhealthy emotional patterns shaped by living her childhood with an alcoholic parent. Unlike clinical takes on addiction and codependency, her story offers a raw, personal perspective that speaks directly to adult children longing for healing and emotional freedom.
Blending memoir, reporting, and practical help, DeMatteo reveals how emotional dysregulation and reactivity shaped her life in ways that both hurt her and ultimately led her to deep personal and spiritual growth. With honesty and vulnerability, she shares her rock-bottom moments and hard-won epiphanies, offering readers a clear view of a path that leads to healing. Written for every adult child who is ready to experience a more connected way of moving through the world, Emotionally Sober and Unimaginably Good provides a hopeful vision and practical steps that will help those seeking emotional recovery and a life they truly want.
Megan DeMatteo is a professional service journalist, a Yahoo! travel creator, and an editor whose work has appeared in major outlets and international publications. She holds a masters degree in creative writing from Lenoir-Rhyne University, as well as a graduate arts certificate in narrative healthcare. Her creative writing journey began with the personal diaries and mindfulness practices that helped her confront emotional truths she had long denied about how her identity as an adult child of an alcoholic shaped her life and behaviors. Through writing, she learned to gather, reassemble, and, finally, love the fractured pieces of her story--insight that now helps her understand the emotional and psychological challenges faced by people with similar backgrounds. She makes her home in the Mid-Atlantic, between Baltimore and New York City.
"With rich, honest storytelling and practical guidance, Emotionally Sober and Unimaginably Good becomes both a mirror and a road map: It helps adult children understand what happened, make sense of what they still carry, and build the resilient, grounded life they deserve. A generous, empowering guide for anyone ready to heal--and truly live." --Voge Smith, trauma alchemist, author of The Delicious Challenge of Being Human on Substack and I Release!: Create the Life That Makes Your Heart Sing, and host of The Delicious Challenge of Being Human podcast
"How refreshing and necessary it is to hear from Megan DeMatteo, grounded in the real-life experience of a recovering adult child of her alcoholic, who shares a frank and sobering take on living a life beyond the tendrils of an alcoholic parent in an astute example of the kids are not okay . . . but could be." --Carla Du Pree, author, state/national arts advocate, consultant, and executive director of the CityLit Project
"This book is a compassionate guide for learning to parent yourself and soothe your adult inner child." --Leah Marone, licensed psychotherapist, mental wellness speaker, and author of Serial Fixer: Break Free from the Habit of Solving Other Peoples Problems
"As a therapist, I was struck by the rare combination of depth and playfulness Megan DeMatteo holds throughout the book. From the first pages, I found myself breathing easier, feeling seen, and quietly challenged to imagine what an unimaginably good life might truly mean. I wholeheartedly recommend this book as a compassionate companion for the millions of adult children on a journey of healing and emotional recovery." --Ed Coambs, MBA, MA, MS, CFP®, LMFT, CFT™, founder of HealthyLoveandMoney.com
"Im in my fifties, and its only in recent years that I began to deal with the child inside me--and the long shadow of the alcoholic who raised me. Its never too late is one of the many key truths Megan DeMatteo is inviting us to embrace in this helpful guide to restoring your inner and outer life and getting out of that shadow for good." --Patton Dodd, author of The Father You Get: And the Ones You Make, Believe In, and Become
"Megan DeMatteo comforts the adult child of disruptive and addicted parents while gently and assuredly reframing the story of their life. Stop beating yourself up with questions of Whats wrong with me? and rest instead in knowing you are okay, a person with a story to explore for growth and, most importantly, self-compassion. This book is a much-needed accompaniment for anyone seeking to move past labels into the peace of being who we are, for real." --Laura Hope-Gill, professor of narrative healthcare and creative writing at Lenoir-Rhyne University and author of Bee Bread: How the Human Hive of Storytelling Heals the World
"This is a powerful book. Megan asks the essential question: What does it mean to live a life that would be unrecognizable to the person you once had to be? With vulnerability, courage, and humor, she traces the journey of becoming someone capable of answering it, and the many versions of herself she meets along the way." --Trey Humphreys, expert branding strategist, speaker, and author of Love Is Bananas
"What a wonderful journey this book took me on--and I know the same is true for others. Over the many years in my own personal journey, I have encountered individuals who take actions that help their life get better. Then, for some baffling reason, they drift away from what was working. This book provides the reason for the drift; it is about emotional sobriety." --Quint Studer, author of The Calling: Why Healthcare Is So Special and Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference
