The Joy of RecoveryThe Joy of Recovery
ACA Tuesday Zoombox
ACA member Tommy Keewe shares how meetings and loving parent check-ins support his recovery from the effects of growing up in a dysfunctional home. He focuses on self-kindness, inner child work and simple stillness practices that help him build a more caring relationship with himself.
15:54•5 Jun 2026
The Joy of Recovery: Tommy Keewe on Meetings, Inner Child Work and Self‑Kindness
Episode Overview
- Regular ACA meetings act as "medicine" for para-alcoholism and codependence, and simply showing up can support both personal and group recovery.
- The loving parent check-in is a core tool for building a relationship with the inner child and addressing unmet emotional needs from childhood.
- Shifting the goal from "fixing" oneself to learning self-kindness and emotional self-care changes the tone and sustainability of recovery work.
- A brief 20-second stillness practice can make inner work less intimidating and can often grow naturally into a deeper loving parent check-in.
- Honesty, open-mindedness and willingness remain essential, and willingness itself can be sought through prayer when it feels lacking.
“I learned I'm not here to fix myself. The reason why I'm here is to learn how to be kind to myself.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Hearing someone speak honestly about the messy bits, the small daily tools, and the unexpected joy that creeps in over time. In this ACA Tuesday Zoombox session, Tommy Keewe from Ohio shares how Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) tools have reshaped his life after growing up in a dysfunctional home.
Tommy starts by sharing his gratitude for service and why he sees it as central to healing: just showing up at meetings is, for him, a powerful act. He jokes that it took him a long time to get there, but now says, “Meeting makers make it,” calling meetings “the medicine I use to treat my para-alcoholism and its kissing cousin, codependence.” For anyone wondering whether yet another meeting is worth it, this perspective might hit home.
From there, he focuses on the “loving parent check-in,” a practice rooted in ACA’s concept of becoming your own loving parent. Tommy talks through his journey from first hearing about inner child work in his twenties, not getting it, and then returning to it decades later through ACA literature. He describes how he began journalling dialogues between his adult self and his inner child, even using different coloured pens.
Over time, he repeatedly saw his inner child write, “Thank you for not ignoring me today.” Tommy is clear that this isn’t about fixing himself. As he puts it, ACA taught him he’s “here to learn how to be kind” to himself, to move away from self-hatred and towards emotional self-care. He shares a simple “20 seconds of stillness” trick that often leads him into a loving parent check-in, making the process feel less overwhelming and more doable.
By the end, you’re left with practical ideas, gentle humour, and a reminder that, as ACA says, “It’s never too late to have a healthy and happy childhood.” Could this be the kind of gentle practice your own recovery has been missing?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.