Early Symptoms
- Embarrassment
- Confusion
- Denial - rationalization
- Fear, anxiety, apprehension
- Tension
- False hopes
- Disappointment
- Guilt
- Isolation, alienation
- Euphoria
- Anger
- Disgust
- Protectiveness
- Genuine pity and sympathy
- Preoccupation with chemical dependency or alcoholism
Middle Symptoms
- Love shift - rejection
- Rage, panic
- Constant worry
- Concern for illness
- Personal frustration
- Lethargy - lack of motivation
- Hostile toward chemical
- Hopelessness
- Punish the abuser
- Self-pity, negative about self
- Vindictive
- Distrust of self and others
- Rigidity
- Seriously uncommunicative
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Chronic Symptoms
- Decline in independence
- Role reversal
- Withdraw from other family/community members
- Fighting/nagging, verbal abuse
- Psychosomatic ailments
- Sexual problems
- Avoid social occasions with drinking
- Lying, covering up
- Threats
- Hiding, not being seen, paranoia about seeing others
- More personal use of chemical, join up with chemically dependent
- Self-absorbing isolation, no outlets, vacuum
"Families must let the alcoholic take the consequences of his drinking and focus less on them and more on their own feelings."
Not all co-dependents have all these symptoms nor do they necessarily display them in the precise order listed above. |
