In this article which we entitle “You're The Addict, Not Me” we discuss the dynamics of living in a family where addiction has its insidious ways, and what the family members need to start doing to liberate themselves from the grip of the disease.
- People in recovery, whether in AA or Al-Anon or other 12-step programs must hold themselves accountable for their behaviour as part of their progress in personal development and healing.
- The after-effects of living in a dysfunctional family include co-dependency where the adult child feels overly responsible for the behaviour of others and becomes easy prey for manipulative people.
- The irony is that the more we tried to control our addict loved one's behaviour, the more we were drawn into behaviour that resembled the very addiction we were vainly trying to vanquish.
- Liberation from the grip of addiction on family members starts with surrender to the truth that the caregiver, the mom or wife or dad is as powerless over addiction as is the addict himself.
- There is plenty of help available if one is at the point of "enough is enough". We caution those seeking help from a professional make sure that he or she is a qualified AODA practitioner, lest uninformed advice prolongs needless suffering.