Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) is a twelve-step program A twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems. Originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous as a method of recovery from alcoholism, the Twelve Steps were first published in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred for people who share a common desire to develop functional and healthy relationships.[1][2] CoDA was founded in 1986 in Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,567,924 residents, and is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area (also known as The Valley of the Sun), the 12th largest metro area by population in the United States with 4,281,899 residents. CoDA is active in more than 40 countries, with approximately 1200 groups active in the United States.[citation needed]
Codependence Codependency or Codependence describes a pattern of detrimental behavioral interactions within a dysfunctional relationship, most commonly a relationship with an alcohol or drug abuser. In general, the codependent is understood to be a person who perpetuates the addiction or pathological condition of someone close to them in a way that hampers is described as a disease that originates in dysfunctional families A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior and even abuse on the part of individual members of the family occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is normal. Dysfunctional families are where children learn to overcompensate for their parent's disorders and develop an excessive sensitivity to other's needs. The term "dysfunctional family" originally referred only to families with patterns of interaction associated with alcoholism. It is now, however, recognized as a disease occurring in family systems based on "denial" or "shame-based rules." This includes a wide-spectrum of pathological emotional interactions in families, but there is always an avoidance of confrontation and inability to resolve conflict. This is sometimes described in terms like "enmeshment" or "blurred ego boundaries." Adult children of dysfunctional families often suffer from a sense of confusion and deprivation that has continued into their adult life — a feeling of "not knowing what normal is" — that has become an anguished desire to recover something emotionally missing in their upbringing. Co-Dependents Anonymous was formed to help individuals who grew up in all forms of dysfunctional families A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior and even abuse on the part of individual members of the family occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is normal. Dysfunctional families are, not just those involving alcoholism Alcoholism has multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions. In common and historic usage, alcoholism is any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, despite health problems and negative social consequences. Modern medical definitions describe alcoholism as a disease and addiction which results in a persistent or substance abuse Although the term substance can refer to any physical matter, substance abuse has come to refer to the overindulgence in and dependence of a drug or other chemical leading to effects that are detrimental to the individual's physical and mental health, or the welfare of others.[3]
Codependence can be defined as a "process addiction" — an addiction to certain mood-altering behaviors, other such examples being eating disorders An eating disorder is any psychological condition charectorized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insuffient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individuals physical and emotional health. Eating disorders are estimated to affect 5-10 million females and 1 million males in the United States.Although not yet classified as, gambling Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period, sexual activity, overwork The phrase does not always imply that the person actually enjoys their work, but rather simply feels compelled to do it. There is no generally accepted medical definition of such a condition, although some forms of stress, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder can be work-related, and shopping Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one. Process addiction can be seen as a unifying principle, providing those in CoDA with a language to describe their disease.[1] Codependence has been suggested as an underlying disease pervasive in all forms of addiction The term "addiction" is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction , problem gambling, crime, money, work addiction, compulsive overeating, Oniomania (compulsive shopping), computer addiction, video game addiction, pornography addiction, television addiction,.[4]
CoDA created a 38-item Likert-type checklist allowing one to evaluate how codependent one is. Possible scores range from 38 to 190, with higher scores representing greater codependence.[5] The results of this instrument are strongly related to those of the Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale The Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale is a 16-item self-report instrument used to define and measure co-dependency in order to operationalize it as a personality disorder. Individual items are rated on a 6-point Likert scale, and then summed with two reversed items to describe co-dependency on a scale from a high of 96 to a low of 16. Scores on the and other such tests measuring codependence.[6]
CoDA has one book approved for use as standard literature in the organization, titled Co-Dependents Anonymous.[7] In addition, there are two more CoDA-endorsed books including a workbook and a book of daily meditations.[citation needed]
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Alcoholics Anonymous; Debtors Anonymous; Overeaters Anonymous; Narcotics Anonymous; Nicotine Anonymous; Sex Addicts Anonymous; Gamblers Anonymous; . Co. -. dependents Anonymous. ; Emotions Anonymous; Workaholics Anonymous; Recovering Couples ...
