Prescription Drug Program and Rehab

Codependent relationships occur frequently between an individual with a substance abuse problem and someone who is close to them, such as a husband or wife, parent, close friend, child, or other family member. Codependency is when one person goes against their own beliefs, preferences, and needs in order to please someone else.

They believe that they are not complete without the other individual and essentially forget their own identity.In the case of drug and alcohol addiction, it is the person or persons without the substance abuse problem who is codependent. An entire family can display behaviors of codependency surrounding an addict. There are many ways that this can show up, and different family members usually adopt different roles for dealing with the situation. Unfortunately, none of these codependent roles are healthy. They only end up creating further problems, dysfunctional relationships, and supporting the continuance of the addiction, although this is not done intentionally. One of the biggest signs of codependency is that individuals who deal with this issue are unable to express anger in a healthy manner. They might either suppress it or let it out in a destructive way.

Most people don’t realize that they are codependent for a long time. Like drug addiction and alcoholism, it isn’t always obvious to the individuals who are dealing with the issues, though it will be apparent to any professional counselor who sees the family situation. When people realize what is going on with codependency, the often become angry at what they have missed out on in life because of it. This can be a good step in the healing process. Family members must learn how to deal with drug addiction and alcoholism appropriately and assert their needs and wants. Some addiction treatment centers offer family counseling to help with this.

Posted in: Substance Abuse, Substance Addiction