As you'll discover in your research, I'm not the first person to
notice the parallels between BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) and
ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics).

BPD and ACOA can be described as labels for the dysfunctional
behaviors employed by a human.  In contrast, CSA (child sexual abuse)
or any abuse at all can be described as the *cause* of the emotional
tramua that later leads to symptoms referred to as BPD and ACOA.

Imagine a scenario where a person notices BPD in a close friend who is
undoubtedly a young adult child of an alcoholic (and, by nature of
having BPD, fits the typical ACOA profile).  Since a) 75% of BPD
sufferers have experienced sexual or physical abuse AND since b)
symptoms of ACOA are *very* similar to symptoms of abuse
(physical, sexual or emotional), the next logical question is, "Beyond
'just' the alcoholism, has this person been sexually abused?  How
about physically abused?  How about emotionally abused?"

(Personally speaking, it's pretty difficult to imagine an alcoholic
household without emotional abuse.  Or are "high-functioning"
alcoholic families common?)

So...

What are behaviors/symptoms (or lack thereof) that can suggest that
physical or sexual abuse has occurred IN ADDITION to the trauma of
parental alcoholism?  (The presence of alcoholism clouds the
diagnostic picture.) Further, if a distinction between "mere"
alcoholism and outright emotional abuse can be drawn, what
behaviors/symptoms suggest that outright emotional abuse has occurred
IN ADDITION to parental alcoholism?

In a sense, I'm curious what diagnostic practices exist to prevent the
trauma of an alcoholic parent (and all its related dysfunction) from
creating a "false positive" or "false negative" with regards to child
abuse.  In other words, what symptoms can be checked for to prevent a
misdiagnosis of parental
alcoholism vs. abuse?

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Crucial URL...

http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume1/j1_2_1.htm
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This is a purely educational question and is, of course, not intended
to replace or contravene professional advice.