ACA Events

ACA Name Change?

ACA WSO has announced the very first Fellowship Group Vote to take place October 01, 2025 to January 31, 2026.

Attention: Please discuss this information with your group as soon as possible to plan a business meeting to reach a group conscience on the proposed name change.

Dear ACA Group,

The Delegates at a World Services Business Conference have approved a Fellowship Group Vote on a proposal to formally change our Program’s name. This is an important opportunity for your group to make its voice heard and to contribute to the Fellowship’s group conscience.

Proposed Name Change
From: Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)
To: Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACAD)

Over time, ACA WSO has sometimes used the longer name “Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families” in our literature and on our website, even though the original program name has remained “Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA).”

The Fellowship Group Vote will decide whether or not to officially adopt the longer name, Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACAD).

This Fellowship Group Vote will provide greater opportunities to share opinions, helping us reach the widest possible group conscience.

Voting Period
Start: October 1, 2025
Ends: January 31, 2026
Length: Four months

Who Can Vote:

Only groups registered on the WSO website may vote. If your group is not listed, please register your group. For purposes of voting, registrations will be updated monthly through to December 31,2025.

Each registered group will be assigned a unique voting code.

Town Halls/Forum
We will hold online Town Hall meetings:
October 4, 2025: 11:00 am ET, 9:00 pm ET
December 6, 2025: 11:00 am ET, 9:00 pm ET
January 17, 2026: 11:00 am ET, 9:00 pm ET

Zoom link for the Town Halls
https://zoom.us/j/94640487526
Meeting ID: 946 4048 7526
Passcode: 607305

Purpose of Town Halls/Forums

To explain the Fellowship Group Voting process
To provide support for conducting an effective group conscience
To explain the WSO voting system for this Fellowship Group Vote

Please keep in mind:

These Town Halls/Forums will not be about debating the name change itself. If you do not agree with the proposed change, the correct way to show that is to vote against it.

Individual registered groups may have already started their internal discussion, including online polling, to determine their group conscience decision. However, this vote is not recorded until they submit their official vote.

Official voting is only for registered groups, not individuals, and does not start until October 1, 2025, and lasts for four months, as noted above.

Just prior to this official start date of October 1, 2025, WSO will be sending the unique code and voting link to each individual registered group.

Reminders
This letter will be sent again about once a month during the voting period. The goal is to encourage all registered groups to take part in this important decision. Your group will be sent separate instructions on how to vote prior to October 1st.

Details about the Fellowship Group Vote are available at: https://adultchildren.org/fellowship-group-voting/

Please share the attached flyer with your group and anyone else you know in the Program.

If you have any questions, email: fgv@acawso.org

From the Name Study survey, it is estimated that implementing a new name could take five years or more. The process would involve both legal and publishing expenses. Current projections estimate the cost at approximately $24,000 annually over five years, or $120,000 total.

If the vote passes, an implementation plan will be developed for delegates to review at the 2026 ABC. The current estimates are considered sufficient for planning at this stage and would be incorporated into annual budget planning if the motion is approved. The Board will continue to advise the Fellowship about how to approach the next steps with careful consideration and responsible stewardship of resources.

In Fellowship,
ACA WSO Board of Trustees

Link to ACA Name Study</a href> on www.adultchildren.org

Mary L. in Santa Barbara has prepared a summary:

Summary of WSO Name Study 2022-2024
adultchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-Name-Study-2024-ABC-Report.pdf
1. 2023, 1st Survey:
6994 Responses, available in 4 languages
On a scale of 1-5 (5 = extremely important), felt “inclusivity of dysfunctional
families” was important, result ~ 4
Q: Did you delay entering the program due to the name? About 1 in 4 delayed.
For those who had delayed due to the name, about 80% reported it was the word
“alcoholics”.
Q: Should the name be changed? About 40% yes, about 22% no, about 38%
unsure.
Q: Willing to remove the word alcoholics to improve inclusivity? About 58% yes,
23% no, about 19% unsure.
2. Why was “Adult Children Anonymous” not included in the 1st Survey?
“The committee discussed the Adult Children Anonymous name 4 times over an 8+ month period with different members present at each discussion, and the group conscience always came to the same conclusion. … the removal of all other descriptive information that might
explain what adult children are, does not communicate inclusion of those coming from dysfunctional families or alcoholic families. Consequently, the potential newcomer would need to understand the adult child concept or do research on what adult child means in this context to truly understand the Adult Child Anonymous name. This name did receive some write-in votes in the first survey, but they only amounted to 2.53%.”
3. 2023, 2nd Survey
The purpose of the 2nd Survey was to narrow down the top 3 choices from the
fellowship on the 1st Survey to a single choice (and acronym) for the delegates at the ABC (Annual Business Conference) to consider.
4316 respondents from 29 countries participated; about 23% have been in the
program less than 1 year; about 46% in the program 1-5 years; about 17% 6-10 years;
about 8% 11-20 years; about 6% more than 20 years.
Four options were presented and results were ranked (weighted totals): Highest
ranking was “Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACAD)”;
then “Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families (ACDF)”; followed by “Adult
Children of Dysfunctional and Alcoholic Families (ACDAF)”, and finally “Keep the
name ACA”.
Respondents were asked if the cost of a 5-year implementation plan reached
$120,00*, “Would this cost be acceptable to you to change the fellowship name to be
more inclusive?” 61.15% answered Yes, and 38.85% answered No. The same
percentages followed in answer to this question: “If the cost of the name change
exceeds WSO annual net income, is it acceptable to you for WSO to fund any
shortfall from savings?”
4. The Name Committee recommendations to the 2024 ABC included this language:
“The functional name and/or acronym is intended to be used on WSO websites, literature, WSO signage, communications, and merchandise (recovery tokens, medallions, bookmarks, etc.). The legal name, Adult Children of Alcoholics World Service Organization, is not to be changed and is to be used whenever the legal name is required.”
5. Motion for the 2024 ABC: “To submit to all ACA registered groups (meetings,
intergroups, and regions) for approval, to change the functional name of the fellowship to Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACAD), the top choice by the fellowship from the name study surveys.”
6. “Implementation to be determined by WSO. If motion received substantial unanimity by groups (66.7% of voting groups approve) the implementation process of the new name and acronym will begin development.”
7. Each registered ACA meeting group will have the opportunity to cast one vote as our
fellowship chooses to keep our same name of ACA, or to change our name to ACAD
(Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families). All members are encouraged to participate in the coming weeks.
8. *The recent name study did not include a legal name change for ACA WSO. This
decision was made due to the significant cost and labor involved in updating all legal and tax-related documents, including contracts.
9. Email communications with Brad L, WSO Chair of the Name Study: “The primary goal
of the study was to explore a name that would be more inclusive of all adult children.
Since individuals considering the program are more likely to engage with members, the
website, and literature—not legal documents—it was determined that focusing on a functional name would better serve the purpose of the study. This approach avoids the additional financial and administrative burden of a legal name change. At this time, we do not have estimates on how much a legal change would cost. The bulk of the estimate *($120K) included the time and costs to change current literature. However, this may be done over a 10+ year period and potentially in conjunction with other changes to the publication to reduce the cost. Also, (there are) legal costs that don’t have to do with changing the name of the corporation. For example, potential DBA, copyright and trademark additions that may be determined that are prudent.
10. WSO is offering four more Town Halls/Forums to answer questions about the group voting process:
December 6th at 8:00 am Pacific Time, and at 6:00 pm PT;
January 17th at 8:00 am, and at 6:00 pm PT
Zoom ID 946 4048 7526
Passcode 607 305
Summary submitted by Mary L. SB LPG Wednesday meeting

More pertinent information may be added here..

BRB Appendix C has some information about the ACA name.

Camarillo ACA Playdate Saturday June 28, 2025 11am-2:30pm!!

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You are invited to join the ACA 9th Annual World Convention 4-5 April 2025

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Around the clock for 27 hours starting on Friday April 4 at 6:00 pm ET, until Saturday April 5 at 9:00 pm ET

THIS IS AN ONLINE ONLY EVENT

Prepare to experience an unforgettable ACA Convention filled with fun, interactive workshops designed to support you in reparenting, processing trauma, and general recovery. Whether you’re just beginning, or deep into your healing work, this Convention offers a safe and transformative space to learn, grow, and connect.

The AWC Program is available at: https://adultchildren.org/awc/!!</a href=”https://adultchildren.org/awc/!!”>

Some of the workshops on the program will include:
Moving from hurting to healing to helping through emotional empowerment 🤝
Breaking the trauma cycle within the family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
Exploring ACA Service as a reparenting / recovery tool 🤲
Experiencing Joy through learning to live in the Solution 🌞
Using the Twelve Steps to manage life’s challenges ✨

In the Fellowship Room we will have open ACA meetings in different languages and experiential sessions that include:

Writing for Recovery ✍️
Creating a sense of safety in the body through the 5 senses 🧘
Reparenting the Inner Child with gentleness, humor, love and respect 👶
Experiencing the magic of non-dominant-hand art 🎨
A Scavenger Hunt 🕵🏽‍♀️
An inner-child communication puppet workshop (a highly-requested favourite!) 🧸
Fun, games, dance, a talent show & so much more! 💃🏼

Important: you must register to receive your Zoom access information. Register here: https://adultchildren.org/awc/</a href=”https://adultchildren.org/awc/”> to save your seat.

Also, you are invited to register: to present during the Talent / No Talent Show scheduled on Saturday April 5 from 9:30 am to 11:00 am ET to request a song for the Inner Child Dance Party scheduled on Saturday April 5 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm ET

The presentations will be in English, unless otherwise specified. However, zoom has the capacity to translate in real time or set up subtitles in different languages.

Questions? Email us at awc@acawso.org.

You can use a time zone converter to cross confirm the exact time for your area. Please ensure that you input the correct date of the AWC in that tool (April 4 or 5, 2025) to ensure accuracy.

The ACA Annual World Convention begins on:
Friday, April 4, 2025 at 15:00 (3:00 pm) PDT (California)
Friday, April 4, 2025 at 22:00 (10:00 pm) GMT (UK)
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 03:30 (3:30 am) IST (India)
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 05:00 (5:00 am) Thailand
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 06:00 (6:00 am) SGT (Singapore)
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 09:00 (9:00 am) AEDT
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 11:00 (11:00 am) NZDT

… and it takes place around the clock for 27 hours.

Looking forward to seeing you at the ACA Annual World Convention!!

~The 2025 AWC Planning Team

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Thanksgiving 2024 ACA Marathon Meetings.


Hello Central Coast ACAs!
We are excited to participate for the second year in a row in the Central Coast Roundup in Santa Maria!

Attached you will find the announcement flyer, as well as other flyers, to post, pass around, email, deliver where appropriate, including
1) A registration form to fill in and submit to get that reduced rate of $20 for your registration fee

2) Schedule of Events so that you don’t miss the two ACA meetings (with Speakers, along w sharing, on Saturday, Oct 19th)

3) We are always looking for more volunteers

Raffle baskets (including an ACA one…you may bring one up and donate one should you/your meeting you feel so inclined!)

Our newly-renovated Veteran’s Hall venue at 313 W. Tunnell St. in Santa Maria, should provide better parking options, more space and more participation. Food, drinks, and breaks should be plentiful.

See you there!



New Zoom speaker meeting series from ACA Healing Fellowship in Santa Maria, California. The speaker shares for 15 minutes. Starting Friday, 6-7pm PT, August 25th, and happening every other Friday until Nov. 3rd (as of now).

Zoom ID: 805 888 1234
PW: Healing


Recovery Talent Show on August 31st, 2023 from 7-9pm at The Elks Lodge, 158 N Conejo School Rd., Thousand Oaks 91362
All 12-step Recovery programs welcome, 20 slots available, $10 entry, 1st come 1st served. Hosted by members of ACA and AA. A fundraiser for the Ventura County AA Convention. Sign up by Aug 21st at
therecoverykitchen@gmail.com


ACA Meeting at the 2023 Ventura County AA Convention on Saturday, Sept 9th at 4pm-5pm at the Westlake Hyatt, 880 S Westlake Blvd, Westlake Village, California 91361. Convention Registration fee $35. ACA booth will be open Friday, Sept 8th 3pm-9pm and Saturday, Sept 9th, 10am-9pm. Please text 805-816-4223 if you’d like to volunteer.

Orange County ACA IG #625 Presents the 34th Fall Mountain Retreat With CoDA & Other 12-Step Programs
October 13-15, 2023
At Camp de Benneville Pines in Angeles Oaks, CA
Theme: Celebrate Me Home
Call, text @ 562.367.4325 or email us at acafallmountainretreat@gmail.com for link to register!