Dependence: A Family Disease

The book is devoted to the psychology of dependence on psychoactive substances (alcoholism, drug addiction) and codependency. Codependency is a psychological state of family members of the sick person. Sober relatives of such patients are emotionally involved in this illness. Relatives not only suffer themselves but also build relationships within the family that hinder the patient’s recovery. Codependency affects wives, mothers, brothers, sisters, adult children, and even grandchildren of those suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction. The patients themselves also exhibit signs of codependency before the onset of the disease or after achieving sobriety. Codependent parents cannot successfully fulfill their parental functions, causing children to suffer. Unwanted events in the family are repeated. Adult children constitute a high-risk group for multiple problems: the development of dependence, psychosomatic diseases, anxiety-depressive states, and they often enter difficult marriages. The patterns of life in such families (dysfunctional families) are described. Codependency is treatable. For the first time in Russia, a program to overcome codependency is proposed. Healing leads to more harmonious relationships in the family and serves as a preventive measure against the emergence of dependence in children. The book is written in a language accessible to relatives and friends of the patients. At the same time, the book can serve as a guide for psychologists, psychotherapists, addiction specialists, psychiatrists, and social workers in their work with patients and their families.