Respond to a colleague who chose different examples. Provide an additional strategy for addressing the codependent behaviors described by your colleague. Provide examples from the Resources and the current literature to support your position.
Codependency is an unhealthy relationship with an individual who has a substance use disorder and the person's actions perpetuate the addition of the individual (Doweiko, 2015). The substance user's behavior is supported by the actions of the codependent relationship. It is important to address codependent behaviors as a substance use disorder impact not only the user but the family system (Lewis & Allen-Byrd, 2007).
One example of a codependent behavior is taking on more and more of the family responsibilities with the children, around the house, and providing financial resources to compensate for the lack of involvement of the user (Bortolon et al., 2016). The husband does all the chores and childrearing due to the wife's addictive behavior of gambling.
Another example of codependent behavior involves the codependent seeing viewing themselves of defining themselves on the addiction and have an unhealthy sense of self related to the other person's substance use (Doweiko, 2015). Due to this unhealthy perception, they may aid the person in continuing their substance use to maintain this perception.
An example of this would be a person who continues to provide a morbidly obese person with unhealthy food, especially when they are unable to move well and have things brought to them. The person continues to provide the unhealthy food to reinforce their identity rather than meet the needs of the other person.
Both of these examples reinforce the use of the addictive behavior rather than rebuke it. Lee (2014) discusses the use of family therapy that is grounded in systems theory that allows for work to be done with the family without pathologizing the codependent's behaviors but also addresses them.
References (use at least 2)
Bortolon, C. B. (2016). Family functioning and health issues associated with codependency in families of drug users. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 21(1), 101-107.
Doweiko, H. E. (2015). Concepts of chemical dependency. Stamford, CT: Cengage.
Lee, B. K. (2014). Where codependency takes us: A commentary. Journal of Gambling Issues, 1-5.
Lewis, V., & Allen-Byrd, L. (2007). Coping strategies for the stages of family recovery. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 25(1-2), 105-124.