Living With a Co-Dependent

Most people would love to establish independence along with a good rapport and relationship with different people. But what happens when the individual goes overboard with the relationship. Is the clingy behavior intentional or possessive behavior? Who knows--it depends on the person.

This behavior is referred to as co-dependency. Co-dependency, or "relationship addiction," is a form of behavior that can be inherited from one generation to another. Individuals with this condition usually have relationships that are viewed from one perspective as opposed to many different perspectives. It can be very sabotaging on an emotional level and sometimes are abusive and possessive. In addition to having these "controlling" relationships, he/she often suffer from low self-esteem and look to other people for validation due to the fact that they feel worthless. They really do not know how to be his/her own person.

Many co-dependent individuals turn to alcohol, nicotine, or even drugs to cope with different issues that are transpiring in his/her life. Their feeling is that using a controlled substance will make their lives more bearable. They are wrong. In contrast, they will be become addicted to whatever is being used to ease the pain.

They people do not mean any harm, but in reality, the consequences can be bothersome. For example, he/she may attempt to help out an individual who is having some type of difficulty, but the attentiveness becomes a bit too possessive and becomes a nuisance. In a co-dependent's mind, they think they are doing a very sensible duty. But the individual will tend to stay very distant from the person.

Many people may be living with a co-dependent person, whether it is a parent, sibling, or whomever. It has a huge impact on everyone around people with co-dependency.

The following are some characteristic of people suffering with co-dependency:

1. He/she do not have trust in self and/or other people.

2. They will grasp on to a relationship; they are afraid of being abandoned.

3. They have a desperate need for validation and/or recognition.

4. He/she also feel the need to lie and become dishonest.

There is hope for the co-dependent people who are seeking help for their situation. There are different organizations that can provide therapy for co-dependents. Some parts of the therapy will include thinking back to early childhood issues and relationships that lead to the present-day destructive relationship problems.

Source: www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/codependency