Amy - After Sobriety, a Recovery from Co-Dependency
“If you squeeze an alcoholic or addict hard enough, a co-dependent will probably pop out.” Ben C
Like many of us, Amy arrived in the twelve-step rooms needing to get sober. She took full advantage of all those tried and true techniques including regular meetings, a sponsor, fellowship, service and working with others. Work with the twelve steps followed, and Amy practiced them admirably.
As you will hear in her story that follows, she was unable to shake anxieties that dogged her for years. She struggled with relationships. And while the anxiety and challenges fueled deeper practice of the principles, as well as counseling, some of the benefits remained beyond her grasp.
Finally with introduction to The Next Frontier by Bill W, and it’s proposal for emotional sobriety as well as an increasingly progressive approach to her program of recovery, she got a glimpse of the dependencies she had on others for approval and validation. With that came an awareness of how and why relationships were so challenging.
Finally, after one more failed relationship and several years looking at her limited emotional sobriety, Amy conceded to herself that co-dependency and love addiction had existed long before her alcohol and drug problems. In fact, she has come to see that alcoholism was a symptom of these underlying factors.
With that awareness, Amy’s progress with her recovery has rocketed forward. Not without difficulties and failings, but there is now a greater restoration to sanity that she long needed and desired, The result is a full embrace of deeper practices, as she realizes more and more of the benefits recovery promises.
Note: If you’d like to hear more of Amy’s story, as well as contrasting her perspective now to that from some years ago, under the pseudonym of Julia she spoke with us about personal inventory and the need to truth telling that is central to her recovery. Click here to listen to her from Season 1.
Below is her more recent story as part of Season 5.