What is codependency and how does it relate to addiction?
Addiction & Recovery
Codependency involves losing yourself in someone else's problems; in addiction, it means enabling the person's substance use while neglecting your own needs.
Codependency is a pattern of behavior where you become so focused on someone else's problems that you lose sight of your own needs and personal identity. In the context of addictive behaviors, codependency often involves enabling the person's substance use by making excuses for them, giving them money, or protecting them from consequences. While you think you're helping, you're actually preventing them from facing the reality of their addictive behaviors. Codependency is harmful to both people involved. Recovery requires setting Personal boundaries, focusing on your own well-being, and allowing the person with addictive behaviors to face the consequences of their choices.