Mental health concerns often intersect with substance use disorders. This is evident in the behavioral problem of codependency. Many times these two conditions exist side by side. This makes it especially difficult for those with substance use issues to break free from the cycle of addiction. As a result, some people imagine that they’ll never be able to their substance use. In truth, they can. However, overcoming codependency requires the help of a comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment program.
At Crestview Recovery, our team proudly provides drug and alcohol addiction treatment in Portland, Oregon, for people who are ready to learn about overcoming codependency. If you’ve noticed signs of codependency in yourself or someone you care about, reach out to us today by calling 866.262.0531 or filling out our online form. Our Crestview Recovery team is always ready to help people heal from mental health disorders, substance use disorders, or both.
What Is Codependency?
Codependency is a behavioral and emotional problem. It doesn’t just spring up out of nowhere. Frequently, family members pass a behavior down to their offspring because it is also a learned behavior.
Codependency negatively affects a person’s life in a variety of ways. In fact, one of the greatest dangers of codependency is that it steals an individual’s ability to enjoy healthy and nurturing relationships.
How Does Codependency Work?
A person associated with someone with substance use disorder is often the person most affected. It’s usually a family member, but it could be a close friend or co-worker as well.
The person who is codependent provides a cover for the one who has become addicted to drugs or alcohol. As a result, this individual excuses or ignores addictive behavior or helps deny it to others. Subsequently, the codependent one is then wrapped up in the identity of the other person.
Such individuals tend to be insecure. As a result, they sacrificially give of themselves to the other person in the vain hope of “saving” that individual. This rarely works and usually only intensifies the problem.
Participants in Codependency
In a codependent relationship, you have two participants. Firstly, there is the person who is codependent. This individual is referred to as the enabler. Secondly, you have the addicted person, who is referred to as the manipulator.
In order to hide their substance use from others, manipulators will use enablers to get their way in family, social, or professional environments. The enabler feels compelled to hide the other person’s problem and even help them in it. This makes overcoming codependency an even more formidable challenge to face.
The Connection Between Codependency and Substance Use
The dangers of codependency often include:
- The person with substance use disorder may attempt to manipulate the enabler for money, medication, or other privileges to keep doing drugs or alcohol. If enablers give in to such behavior, the pattern is set for it to continue unabated indefinitely.
- The person abusing a substance won’t get treatment as long as someone continues to enable them. Without that voice telling them that something is wrong, users won’t feel the urgent necessity to seek treatment.
- The enabler may be a victim of emotional or physical abuse. It’s not just the addicted individual with issues. The enabler’s issues can contribute greatly to the situation.
- The consequences of substance use may result in an overdose. If addicted individuals feel as if their actions aren’t subject to scrutiny, they can slip deeper into addiction. Consequently, the threat of overdose becomes greater.
These dangers may be frightening, but there is hope for those who choose to overcome codependency at Crestview Recovery.
Overcoming Codependency
To finally overcome codependency, a person needs the help of trained professionals and evidence-based therapies. At Crestview Recovery, our compassionate staff is ready to walk with you on your journey to a better life, wholeness, and health. Our goal is to help you become a success. Our lovely facility offers several therapy options, some of which include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavioral therapy
- Individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy
- Mindfulness meditation therapy
- Holistic therapy
Learn About Overcoming Codependency at Crestview Recovery
Overcoming codependency is possible with the help of a qualified rehab center. Compassionate and comprehensive care from a team of professionals is the most effective way for people to learn how codependency adversely affects their lives and acquire strategies to ease or even eliminate codependency.
At Crestview Recovery, our team has years of experience providing support for people dealing with codependency issues. We believe that a foundation of therapy options gives people in recovery the opportunity to identify underlying causes of addiction and begin to heal from these causes. Don’t let addiction ruin your life or the life of a loved one. The first step is reaching out to our Crestview Recovery team today. Begin the journey to recovery by calling our team at 866.262.0531 or filling out our online form.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
