Codependency is a relationship pattern which is characterized by dependence on a person who has some manner of addiction. This pattern can occur in romantic relationships, but also develops in family members – parents and a child or pairs of siblings.
In some cases, individuals who arecodependent are also dealing with addictions and mental health problems oftheir own, which makes their relationships yet more complicated.
Also, dysfunctional families can fail to acknowledge signs of codependency and unhealthy behaviors which can lead to further destructive behaviors and a lack of trust, poor communication and little emotional support.
The connection between addiction and codependency is very strong and presents several challenges as people work to recover from addiction to illicit substances and alcohol.
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Enabling
People who are codependent often involve themselves in people-pleasing behavior. As a result of their low self-esteem and low self-worth, they will do anything they can to make people have a positive opinion of them, which causes them to enable loved ones.
Enabling means shielding an addicted individual from the consequences of their behavior. Often, the recovery process only begins when an addicted person feels that life cannot get any worse than it is. This process is known as hitting rock bottom.
For someone who has an alcohol or substance addiction disorder, this feeling might occur after being arrested for drink driving. It might also happen when anindividual is fired from their job for substance abuse, or if an addicted individual’s partner ends their relationship.
Enablers are so deeply worried about keeping the peace and being sure that people have a positive outlook of them that they do whatever possible to shield the person they love from negative consequences of their using.
An enabler might make excuses for the behavior of the addict, lie to people to keep the substance abuse issue asecret, give someone who is addicted money even if they know it will be used to buy drugs or alcohol, do tasks that the individual is capable of doing or blaming other people for the behavior of the addicted person.
If someone who is struggling with an addiction gets trouble at work or has a negative encounter with the police, the enabler might attempt to excuse this troubling behavior. As a result of this, the person who is addicted never hits rock bottom.
By allowing these compulsive behaviors to continue, enablers prevent the people they are with from getting help, which prevents them from going to rehabs such as those listed on the Caron reviews website, and getting on the road to recovery.
Codependent children
Although codependency in Florida usually manifests in romantic relationships, psychologists have determined that children of addicts might become codependent as a result of the reversal that can occur between parent and child. Parents are supposed to look after theirchildren, teach them to behave and guide them while they explore the world.
Parents who are struggling with addiction might have issues with performing these responsibilities. Also, depending on the severity of the drug addiction or alcohol abuse, parents might be physically unable to look after achild, which results in a reversal of roles.
A child might have to clean the house, cook, take the trash out and perform other responsibilities which would normally be undertaken by the adult. This affects the formation of the identity of the child, which causes a cycle of codependency that can last well into adulthood.
The link between codependency and addiction is a strong one, and causes some adults to seek out relationships with partners who have addiction problems so they may maintain the caretaker identity.
Negative consequences
Codependency and addiction both have negative consequences from the people in these codependent relationships. As well as shielding the addicted person from negative consequences, codependent people prevent someone who is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse from forming health friendships with otherpeople.
The codependent individual is so invested in the relationship that they might actively interfere with the person’s ability to spend their time with people. As a result of this, the person who is addicted might not have support to recovery. By enabling this person’s behavior, someone who has codependent tendencies might also work to prevent change from occurring within the relationship.