Addiction and Impact On The Family

In this issue, we feature a Book Review from our very own, Ms. Jean Earhart, MSW, LISW-CP, LCSW. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please know that there is help available - For more information, please visit Palmetto Counseling's website or call (803) 329-9639 to schedule an appointment.

In working with families in recovery I find several self-help books to be very helpful. When a spouse has codependent traits I often refer to one of my favorite authors, Melody Beattie.

In 1987, she wrote the book "Codependent No More." It is as applicable today as it was 25 years ago. When working with families who suffer from addictions, the family system generally tries to find someone to take responsibility for other people's behaviors. When that happens individuals try to compensate by controlling others, often at the expense of their own needs.

Codependent No More addresses this issue and suggests ways that help individuals to stop focusing on others and start taking care of themselves and their own needs. One of the biggest problems with codependents is they don't have healthy boundaries and don't know or how to set boundaries. This interferes with their relationships within the family, at work, and in the community. They need to learn to ask themselves the question, "Whose problem is this?" If it is not their problem they need to let it go and move on. While the addict must focus on recovery from their addiction, the codependent must focus on their addiction to the addict's problem and learn to distinguish the difference between the two by focusing on their emotional, physical, and spiritual health instead of the addict's problem.

Other helpful books by Melody Beattie are: Beyond Codependency: And Getting Better All The Time; The Language of Letting Go: Daily meditations for Codependents; Codependents' Guide to the Twelve Steps.

Authored by Jean Earhart, MSW, LCSW July 9, 2011

Palmetto Counseling & Consulting Services, LLC

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