In this short course we will examine codependency through the lens of how people who are in relationship with an addict can become sick themselves. By the time you finish, you will have no doubt about how easily this can happen; why people who suffer from codependency need treatment just as much as addicts do; and how insidious and devastating this affliction is. 

Codependency remains extremely difficult to treat because of the challenge of breaking through the denial codependents have about their disease. Most addictions counselors will say it is much more difficult to convince codependents they need treatment than it is to convince addicts. In part, that is because the addict can readily see the damage they are causing themselves when they drink excessively or inject powerful narcotics into their body. On the other hand, it is much more difficult to convince a codependent the behaviors they are engaged in, such as caretaking or trying to minimize the chaos addicts create, are as dysfunctional and unhealthy as those of the addict and often do more harm than good. 

The goal here is to give you the tools you need to break through the denial of codependents, thus giving them the powerful insights they need to understand they have a problem and build up the determination to overcome it. You will learn that the diseases of addiction and codependency actually mirror each other. The material contained in this course should make it clear that codependency is a serious addiction in itself, and people who suffer from it are just as sick as the addicts they are trying to control.  In addition to informing codependents of the need to address their disease, the material also has significant implications for recovering addicts in relationship with them.  It is important addicts understand how their family and others ...