The Marriage of Codependency and Addiction

Codependency and addiction are the perfect couple.

It’s often said that alcoholics and addicts need an enabling system to continue unhealthy behavior. Recently, I’ve been thinking thinking about how codependents need them to continue their unhealthy behavior. Together, we make up two sides of the same coin. In the heat of it all, we blame the other when that token is fed into the slot machine of relapse and the cherries flash a jackpot of crisis, heartache and the cycle of lost chances. Moreover, the codependent folks blame the addicted ones (who usually accept this blame) and nothing changes. Families harden with anger each time the pattern repeats.