Working My ProgramMy name is Catherine E. I have been in recovery and specifically CoDA for 30 years now. I have started and led meetings in a couple of different states, and I have sponsored people in the past. I have had co-sponsors and had a sponsor and been mentored throughout my journey by many women.To walk into a CoDA meeting takes great courage. It has been a very difficult job learning to let go and to stop controlling others; to trust in and believe that a higher power had my best interests at heart; to overco ...Continue Reading

Reflection on Chapter 2The wonder of how CoDA readings often resonate with the insights of the past week still surprises me and I am grateful to have this growing understanding that my higher power works in subtle and pervasive ways. This reading reminded me of what an old-timer shared in one of my first meetings.“Codependency is the disease beneath the disease of all addiction.”In my childhood home we lived in constant flux. My father’s career was always the focus and from the age of five I moved every 2-3 years from c ...Continue Reading

 Overcoming ObstaclesMy name is April, and I am a codependent. I didn't say that out loud until I came to my first CoDA meeting six months ago. Before that, I only identified as "addict.” I was in recovery for my addiction in another fellowship, staying clean, had a sponsor, worked all 12 Steps but something still wasn't working. I wrote multiple inventories, but I still hated my mother. In 2022 my physical health was really declining and I had to have multiple surgeries, including a full colectomy. I was in p ...Continue Reading

My Higher Power’s WillTwo years into my recovery and I still couldn’t put my finger on what I felt was my Higher Power’s will for me. I had a strong sense of my Higher Power and how it was working in my life, where and how to connect to it – but this seemed a difficult concept to grasp.Then Bam! A lightbulb moment – following a codependent slip and a spiral into shame and “poor me” mentality.A review of Steps 1, 6 and 7 gave me the lightbulb moment I was after. My victim mode with the self-defeating scripts/negative sel ...Continue Reading

Meeting in Print/ /(MiP)/, a CoDA Co-NNections subcommittee, is proud to announce that the latest issue of its publication, themed “Strengthening in Recovery” https://coda.org/wp-content/uploads/CoDA-MiP-March-2023-Ed.-26.pdf MiP is a quarterly publication that is structured like a live meeting; opening with the CoDAs foundational readings (Preamble, Welcome,Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions), followed by member shares (stories, poetry, artwork, photographs, etc.), and closing with Affirmations and Prayers. Ther ...Continue Reading

Finding Strength in MeHi, my name is Debbie and I’m codependent.I came into the CoDA rooms nearly two years ago. To say “I never looked back” would be untrue. Many a time when I was adequately side-tracked by my ‘significant other’ at the time, I would barely pay CoDA lip service.But now when look I back, I have my CoDA journey to look back on. I look back towards ‘me’. CoDA has been there as a gentle reminder that I will not find strength in anyone else, I will only find strength in me.As I begin to have an inkling of ...Continue Reading

Spilled CoffeeThank you for the opportunity to share:This morning, I spilled my coffee. Up until now, I may have listened to the committee in my mind; false messages looking for control. The FEAR seeping in, much like the coffee soaking into the rug. False evidence appearing real.Step 11 reminds me that through prayer and meditation I can and do have conscious contact with the God of my understanding. My meditation practice allows me to more readily BE in this moment, where I accept myself as I am, an imperfect human BE ...Continue Reading

I Keep Coming BackMy best friend Mo was in CoDA for years when we met. I listened to her. I knew my mother was codependent. I was sure of that. And I was moving to Florida to live with her. I'd go to CoDA because she was codependent.Ha ha!!Well, it takes what it takes. I got involved with an active alcoholic. I remember our first date. I remember it so well. I sat in the passenger seat of his noisy jeep feeling exactly as I did when I was in high school. It was a feeling of suffocating. Of not being myself. Of not reall ...Continue Reading

No Longer Just a Nice GuyWhen I got a gut instinct that all might blow up in my family, I started asking what it was I was doing. It started with a book about being a “nice guy.” I am one. That’s essentially a codependent, I thought. When I researched it, it all jumped out and said, Hey, this is ME they speak of!I’m so gratefully three days into recovery. I reached out to CoDA, and a wonderful guy, Daniel, walked me through some basics. I believe that I was programmed very well when young. An injured Father was abusive, ...Continue Reading

Letter to My BoysThe following is a letter I wrote to my children a few days ago that may or may not ever be given to them, but it was a letter I needed to write. After starting CoDA fifteen months ago, I finally feel free and more myself than ever before. My sponsor, my meetings, and reading morning meditations from In This Moment have changed the course of my life. I acknowledge that my codependency is ever-present and must be managed. Participating in the CoDA program is a daily habit and has saved me from remaining ...Continue Reading

TestimonialI have been in CoDA since June 2021, when I was in a residential, trauma-based program. There, with the help of the professionals and my fellow residents, I saved my life. As a child, I was the oldest of four girls and took on the protection of my sisters when my mother’s raging was too scary. Our father was compliant, asking us to just do what she said so she would stop. I carried that compliance to adulthood, where I had a series of abusive relationships, and some in which I was so detached I lasted just lo ...Continue Reading

Musings on the 6th TraditionSo, I've been in CoDA on and off for six years and I want to share my story. CoDA is a fantastic place to heal. I've learned so much to heal my abuse patterns learned from and in response to my abusers.I left a CoDA homegroup I was in for 3 years, due to a religious divide. I was one of the people quoting scripture, as it pertained to my recovery. However, it angered many CoDA members in the group. Members found my use of scripture to be insensitive and endorsing.I thought I was sharing my he ...Continue Reading

Step 11 ReflectionWhen I consider my approach to prayer to my higher power and to meditation, in what is my first 78 meetings and 78 days of my CoDA journey, I’m grateful that I can now see the waves of resistance and brief moments of surrender that swung wildly at first and now like a pendulum seem to be finding a rhythm that, while still out of balance, has a more regular cadence that I can start to feel on a daily basis. I’m not there yet by any means. I have days where deeply obsessive and compulsive anxiety ru ...Continue Reading

Taking ResponsibilityHi, I am Ramona P,My story started as a little girl seeing my mom in abusive relationships. I am the eldest of 7 children. Caretaking became my way of survival; if I can just focus on taking care of others, I won’t have to think about how sad I felt deep inside. I usually felt fearful, ashamed, not enough. I started self-medicating with food as a toddler; it’s still a struggle today over 50 years later. Let’s not think about experimental drugs and alcohol use. My dad was an alcoholic, so I was deter ...Continue Reading

TransformationHi, my name is Colleen. I have been a member of AA for 30 years but joined Coda 10 years ago. Slowly but surely my life has been transformed by working the Steps in the CoDA workbook. I attend meetings Thursday night and also every Sunday.I have always been codependent, but I never knew. I felt broken and a waste of space. 30 years ago, at 18 years of age I slowly started to put myself back together one piece at a time. What a process and long journey!I continue to move forward little by little. I have tak ...Continue Reading

Speaking My TruthI had a plan. I knew what I wanted. It was important to me. Things were not coming together well. I needed to speak up - not abandon myself (again). State the facts. Speak my truth. Live with the consequences.I cannot control others, only myself. My CoDA recovery tools were knocking on my door. I knew what I needed to do. My people-pleasing defect runs strong and deep. I have to work so hard to overcome it. Day by day, sometimes moment by moment. I had to have a hard, honest conversation with my friend. ...Continue Reading

Learning AuthenticityI didn’t know it, but I was addicted to chaos. Perhaps addicted may be too strong a word, but I certainly was attracted to it. It could be across the street with unfamiliar people arguing (I’d perk up and listen, hmmm, what’s going on!!) or right in my personal space within my own family. Chaos was normalized as, well, normal, from my very beginnings on earth. My family of origin cemented this, and I carried the torch on into my own life. I married a pothead, and he would hit me. He gambled and I ac ...Continue Reading

Anger to AcceptanceAfter 14 years in Alanon and 3 years in CoDA, one day I hit a point where things felt like they were falling down around me. I was getting the cold shoulder from people at work, and it felt devastating. My people pleasing – a lifelong habit – had really dealt me a blow this time. I had tried so hard and so consistently to make others like me, and it had all backfired. Being shunned by my colleagues at work felt like my whole world was falling apart and all kinds of hurt feelings were triggered. Nothin ...Continue Reading

Meeting in Print/ /(MiP)/, a CoDA Co-NNections subcommittee, is proud to announce that the latest issue of its publication, themed “Transforming in Recovery” https://coda.org/wp-content/uploads/CoDA-MiP-Dec-2022-Ed.-25.pdf MiP is a quarterly publication that is structured like a live meeting; opening with the CoDAs foundational readings (Preamble, Welcome,Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions), followed by member shares (stories, poetry, artwork, photographs, etc.), and closing with Affirmations and Prayers. There i ...Continue Reading

The Lotus Flower Still Blossoming and Breathing I have always wanted to submit a story to the CoDA community. I went to my first CoDA meeting in late July of 2016, just a few months after entering my AA program. To this day, the beautiful women I met at my very first meeting, are still just as near and dear to me. They are “my tribe” and my “soul sisters” in recovery. Without their and so many others’ humility, courage, and strength, I don’t know if I would still be here today. Without my strength and willingness to con ...Continue Reading

Soul Gardening with Steps Four through SevenI enjoy growing plants in various sized pots. In order to make these plants flourish and produce new growth, removing dead leaves and flower blooms is a must. When I do, new leaves and flowers later appear. One day as I was doing this pruning, it occurred to me that this is similar to doing Steps Four through Seven.When I identify the characteristics that no longer are working in my life, and share with myself, God, and another human being, then I begin to prune my life. In St ...Continue Reading

Allowing Myself to Be Human! I’ve been in 12-Step recovery more than 30 years off and on. I realize now that every time I went out on drugs it was over a codependent issue. With each loss I had no sense of self or self-love. I was in so much pain I really wanted to die!I was extremely compliant, always looking at what could I do for others. I came to CoDA 7 years ago. It was total insanity with my mother, so my therapist suggested I might join CoDA. I didn’t think I was codependent. I thought, “I’m independent!” … I had ...Continue Reading

Building BridgesGuilt and regret can be corrective emotions when they are balanced, rooted in self-love and we are able to stay out of rumination, self-criticism, and judgment. We all make mistakes, we are human.When I have the awareness that I have made a decision that wasn’t in my best interest. I do my best to acknowledge it, reflect on it, make amends if possible and move on, with the intention I won’t repeat the mistake again.Promise 4 from Codependent’s Anonymous states:I release myself from worry, guilt, and regr ...Continue Reading

Once Scared, Now FreeBorn in Britain in 1945, as World War II ended, from very early, I experienced the loss of any security of parenting or home stability. I have suppressed memories of sexual abuse. The pain of being deprived of love and security caused a deep, wrenching outpouring of grief that did not happen until my mid-forties. Even though in my 20’s I knew it needed to come out, but I was too locked up to truly grieve.Then one day, as I was starting out in a new career as a church minister, I snapped at a parishi ...Continue Reading

My First CoDA MeetingI remember my first CoDA meeting as if it were yesterday. Of course, I had no idea of what to expect but I had certain expectations. Sounds ironic, doesn't it?It was January 20, 2020. My fiancé and I went to the meeting thinking it would solidify our relationship even more. What we experienced was a small group of people who were warm, friendly, and welcoming.The meeting agenda was structured and organized. What I remember most was that no one was pressured to speak at any time. Of course, th ...Continue Reading

From Fuzziness to ClarityFor a large part of my life I felt I had a fuzzy outline. Reading through old journals as I work through my Step 4 inventory, I realized I was constantly looking to other people, places, or things to define me and give me value. I was so lost. When I joined CoDA, I began building that sense of self, one feelings-check at a time. Learning to identify feelings filled in the fuzziness, and pretty soon I discovered boundaries. Parts of myself finally had clear definition. How exciting that was!All I ...Continue Reading

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions The inability to make a decision was very strong in my personality prior to recovery and self-discovery in CoDA. One perfect example of this came one day when my sister and I were trying to decide what to do with this perfectly beautiful sunshiny day. We debated back and forth on the best way to use the time. We ended up using the whole day trying to make a “perfect” decision. What a waste!Thinking others could make better decisions or thinking I had to make the perfect decision was ...Continue Reading

Realizing a New Joy"By actively working the program of Co-Dependents Anonymous, we can each realize a new Joy, acceptance and serenity in our lives." -- CoDA Preamble Actively working the program of Co-Dependents Anonymous, that's the part that brought my ego down and my CoDA Steps back into the driver seat of my life. In my recovery work the quickest way to feel the worst and go back to the old ways of living was not being active in my program.I brilliantly decided that after a year of recovery I had it all t ...Continue Reading

Building BridgesGuilt and regret can be corrective emotions when they are balanced, rooted in self-love and we are able to stay out of rumination, self-criticism, and judgment. We all make mistakes, we are human.When I have the awareness that I have made a decision that wasn’t in my best interest. I do my best to acknowledge it, reflect on it, make amends if possible and move on, with the intention I won’t repeat the mistake again.Promise 4 from Codependent’s Anonymous states:I release myself from worry, guilt, and regr ...Continue Reading

Finding SerenityI am powerless over my students’ punctuality/attendance and my life has become unmanageable. In this moment, I can feel the misery arising in me. It’s 8 am and only about one-half of the class has arrived. I could acknowledge the ones who are on time, reward them somehow, and punish the rest. That’s within my power, right? What do I do? This is where I can go the way of my higher power or have a codependency flare up.I thank my higher power and Codependents Anonymous for giving me the wisdom and grace to ...Continue Reading

Pain  "We don't change until the pain of remaining the same exceeds the pain of change." This was one of my sponsor's favorite quotes and now it's one of mine, too. I know that it has held true in my life. And I find the quote comforting on many levels. For one thing, it changed my perspective on pain. That rather than something to be feared and avoided at any cost, pain is natural, and especially for those of us stuck in self-defeating patterns, it is necessary. Sometimes it is the only th ...Continue Reading

Meeting in Print (MiP), a CoDA Co-NNections subcommittee, is proud to announce that the latest issue of its publication, themed "Time to Recover"https://coda.org/wp-content/uploads/CoDA-MiP-Sept-2022-Ed.-24.pdfMiP is a quarterly publication that is structured like a live meeting; opening with the CoDAs foundational readings (Preamble, Welcome, Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions), followed by member shares (stories, poetry, artwork, photographs, etc.), and closing with Affirmations and Prayers.There is plenty of s ...Continue Reading

The 38th Pattern of Recovery"Co-dependents often demand that their needs be met by others. In recovery, I find and use resources that meet my needs without making demands on others. I ask for help when I need it, without expectation." https://coda.org/meeting-materials/service-materials/For me, making demands was not an obvious pattern of behavior. It was insidiously sneaky, even when I was the one being demanding. I learned to recognize my demands by noticing the anticipated resentment I was ready to unleash ...Continue Reading

Realizing the Twelve PromisesI attended my first CoDA meeting 30 years ago when I was 22 years old. My father, a recovering alcoholic, heard about it and suggested I go.Back then, I was ungrounded and paying attention to everyone else but me, internalizing everyone else’s moods and feelings and acting out. I did not know how to get quiet and feel my own feelings.Believing, trusting in, and turning my will over to my higher power resulted in miraculous changes in me. I learned to let go and stop controlling others, to fe ...Continue Reading

Have any of the Weekly Reading been helpful or thought-provoking for you?Consider submitting *your *story and sharing your insight with other CoDA members! How has CoDA changed your life? Sharing your experience, strength and hope may help thousands of codependents still suffering. Everybody in CoDA has a recovery story to tell.  Please email to: wr@coda.org Some Possible Topics (could include, but not limited to):1. Sharing your Strength and HopeHow CoDA and the Twelve Steps have made a positive imp ...Continue Reading

I Trust Those Who Are Trustworthy“I [learn to] trust those who are trustworthy” ~ Promise Seven.Before attending my first CoDA meeting, I had an open-door policy for trust. I trusted people and what they said – until they gave me a reason not to. With the help of CoDA’s 12 Promises, I’ve learned to protect myself by trusting people’s actions, and not just single actions, but actions repeated over time. Now my window of trust (which is no longer a door) is only open for those whose actions match their words over time - t ...Continue Reading

My Journey on My Path to RecoveryI started working the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions with my sponsor. I began writing stories that I could share at my CoDA meetings. I knew I felt safe there and no one would criticize me. That was something I wasn’t used to.When I wrote my “AHA” moment and read it to my sponsor, she suggested I send it to CoDA. I was surprised that she thought enough of my writing to even consider it worthy of such an organization. That is how low my self-esteem was. Her encouragement and belief in ...Continue Reading

No Longer LostI grew up in a household that provided a great training ground for codependency. My mom had lived through great tragedy and, in addition to dealing with post-trauma, suffered from other forms of mental illness. At one moment, she could be funny, charming, sensitive, and generous, and the next, flying into a rage that was accompanied by shaking, screaming, breaking things, making threats, etc. My father, who was an abuse survivor, was the exact opposite: quiet, introverted, and never wanting to get involved ...Continue Reading

Keep My Head and My Feet in the Same PlaceFour weeks from my wedding Omicron was tearing through my county. What if my mom catches it and can’t come? What if his immunocompromised mother catches it on the flight, in the restaurant, at the wedding and we kill her? What if I catch it? How do you have a wedding without a bride? Or a groom?After a few days of unmanageability, I finally reached out to my sponsor who offered me: “Keep your head and your feet in the same place.” My feet were in January, but my head was in Febr ...Continue Reading

Meetings With “A Lot of Recovery”I’ve been in this program for six years. In that time, I’ve attended a wide variety of meetings; each with their own format, structure, and style. I‘ve been welcomed and understood, over and over. I have experienced a sense of belonging like the Twelve Promises of CoDA mention. I have noticed some common threads that make that possible:·         Experienced CoDAs offer healthy modeling by listening well and sharing honestly.·         ...Continue Reading

Making Lemonade in RecoveryMy CoDA Step Study group shared a daily reading and it touched on the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” A fellow group member shared the below statement and it inspired me to reflect and write more on the topic.“My lemonade turns out better if I don’t abandon myself making it” ~ Dora Lee M. (included with permission).This is what I took away from both…If I abandon myself while making my lemonade, especially if I do so before I add the sweetness…my lemonade and my life may end ...Continue Reading

Being in CoDA has taught me a lot about my control patterns. I’ve recently realized that I can’t help but want to control the emotions of everyone around me. And more importantly, I have worn myself down into a pattern of deciding for my loved ones what they should be thinking or feeling.I suffered sexual abuse as a 10-year-old. My family covered it up because the perpetrator was my brother. I am 30 now, but I am still firmly entrenched in the victim role. This means I can’t stand it when members of my family don’t reac ...Continue Reading

I grew up with codependency all around me in my family. Now I have my own life, but the scars still show, and I have triggers.I am doing positive things to help myself. Coming into CoDA has helped me a lot. I do online meetings and have a sponsor who kicks my butt if needed. I have been around two years now. I have been married all this time and this program has helped my marriage. It’s helped me to be aware of stuff that I wasn't aware of before.As a result of CoDA, I have a positive outcome. I have learned much about ...Continue Reading

Me, a Writer?I have difficulty with writing. When I began my journey in CoDA six years ago, I couldn't even imagine writing in a journal or answering the workbook questions. The idea that I might eventually submit something for the Fellowship to read was unfathomable. Part of my problem was believing I had nothing of value to add; I didn't even think my words were worthy of being put in ink on a page. The other challenges revolve around the more practical aspects of composition.I found my voice by sharing in meetings. W ...Continue Reading

Meeting in Print (MiP), a CoDA Co-NNections subcommittee, is proud to announce that the latest issue of its publication, themed "Feeling Grateful" https://coda.org/wp-content/uploads/CoDA-MiP-June-2022-Ed.-23.pdfMiP is a quarterly publication that is structured like a live meeting; opening with the CoDAs foundational readings (Preamble, Welcome, Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions), followed by member shares (stories, poetry, artwork, photographs, etc.), and closing with Affirmations and Prayers.There is plenty of ...Continue Reading

ProjectionProjection: In recovery I no longer remain in denial by accusing others of behavior that is mine to correct.Projection can be defined in many ways … projecting an image on a screen is one example from our CoDA Book. Projection can also be defined as “a mental image viewed as reality”. The psychological definition that resonates most clearly for me in my recovery is “the unconscious transfer of one's own desires or emotions to another person: we protect the self by a number of defense mechanisms, including repr ...Continue Reading

Abandoned in LoveI’m a codependent. I’ve been in CoDA for 10 months now and have been attending the CoDA Strong Monday meeting consistently all of that time. I have a CoDA sponsor and I’ve worked through all Twelve Steps with him. We are now engaged in working the Twelve Traditions with a focus on how they can help us with relationships.That brings me to my current CoDA issue with my wife. Over the past five years of my sobriety from pill and sex addiction, my wife and I have enjoyed somewhat of a honeymoon. So I forget ...Continue Reading

My StoryI've had a taste of recovery and yet I am reminded daily of how much work I have to do. Several months ago, I had fallen into a deep chasm of codependency. I was losing my self-esteem and I was incredibly desperate for that fix of validation or that sense of control I had being a caretaker.For the first time, instead of running into the arms of a woman I became a part of this Fellowship. I listened to the stories of others and found commonality. I found a home and one that was more healthy than the home I grew u ...Continue Reading

When I ignore my need for recovery I go into states of self-delusion, illusion, self-hate, magical thinking, isolation, superiority, and inferiority. When I sit in the truth that I need help and support, I humble myself to my higher power and seek recovery. My higher power wants me to recover so that I can be what I am meant to be, precious and free.  Steps are steps for a reason. The only way out is through. I once went to a guitar shop and a guy heard me play and asked me if I wanted to learn how to get better fa ...Continue Reading

Letting Go of People Pleasing Codependent characteristic of people pleasing may have been based on my alcoholic parent always saying “no” … sometimes before the question was completely out of my mouth. “Mom, can I ..” NO.Needing approval, needing a “yes” that never came, I sought that approval from others. I’d go out of my way to be “liked”. If I got into an elevator with a stranger, I’d know their history before we reached our floor and they would “like” me.With the help of my higher power, whom I call God; CoDA h ...Continue Reading

ACCEPTING LOVEI wrote this shortly after Covid-19 shut everything down. I felt very lonely and isolated from my family and friends.My low self-esteem defects have come out in full force trying to knock me over. The trigger: gifts my daughters have been sending me. Each one sent me a special gift this week. A personalized notepad from my youngest; my favorite scented candle that happens to have YOU ARE LOVED on the outside from my middle; a pair of slacks from a special store my oldest and I visited on a recent NYC trip. ...Continue Reading

Shy’s Tradition 3 Prayer:The only requirement for membership in CoDA is a desire for healthy and loving relationships.God, I like the phrase my sponsor uses: “judgy pants.” These pants were worn all day long by the ladies in my family of origin. Naturally, I had my own custom-fit judgy pants that I was born into. Oftentimes I was unaware that I slipped into them like some nanotechnology from Iron Man. Now, because of this Fellowship and this Tradition, these pants are starting to feel like leather pants in the summer -- ...Continue Reading

I have always loved losing myself in stories. For one thing, it was an easy escape hatch to get caught up in another world, to be fully immersed in a fantastic story or a new realm. For another, I could control what I wanted, but also banish what I did not want: to be alone, to feel unloved, to be gay. Good stories have a clear beginning, middle and end. I wanted my life to be a concise, linear story. I saw my brother’s death before I was born as the beginning of my story and finding someone like him to take care of me ...Continue Reading

Self Value Comes FirstDiscussing our shares with the other members after a recent meeting gave me an answer that might have saved my career as a family therapist more than fifteen years ago. I had done coursework, training and supervision, obtained licensure, and had worked in a number of agencies. I seemed effective working with clients and had some quite notable successes. But I had not been successful working in the agencies. Indeed, those failures were what led me into CoDA.In the meantime, my only alternative was p ...Continue Reading

Panic in DespairBefore I came to CoDA, I had nowhere to go with my panic and despair. When I found out that my daughter was cutting herself and becoming obsessed with suicide, I was blown away. It was just a couple of days after she’d found out that the boy she liked didn’t like her. She was heartbroken. That was when the depression and the cutting began. It’s been a long road since those early days of my then 17-year-old daughter's suicidal ideation (she’s 20 now). We got her in therapy, and she has a psychiatrist pres ...Continue Reading

I’ve been in CoDA for about 1.5 years. As I’ve grown in CoDA, I’ve noticed that setting boundaries has really improved my self-esteem. Anything from not interpreting Spanish at work when there are interpreters available (as it is not in my job description) to walking away from unequal relationships.I’ve been single for five years and really interested in sharing my life with someone; however, I’m not willing to settle. I met a girl who was seven years sober in the same program as I was. She was funny, she was attractive ...Continue Reading

Dealing with EmotionsI went to pick up a parcel only to realize that it would not fit in my packsack, so I asked the clerk to keep it and I would come back. The gentleman in the line behind me offered to drive me home with my big parcel if I could wait for him to mail his. I was very surprised and happy because that would save me a lot of trouble. I live very close. We talked and exchanged business cards since we are both artists, and his field would be useful to mine. So far everything was fine. But as soon as he left, ...Continue Reading

https://coda.org/wp-content/uploads/22-CoDA-MiP-March-2022-Ed.-22.pdf  Meeting in Print (MiP), a CoDA Co-NNections subcommittee, is proud to announce that the latest issue of its publication, themed "Gift of Renewal" MiP is a quarterly publication that is structured like a live meeting; opening with CoDA's foundational readings (Preamble, Welcome, Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions), followed by member shares (stories, poetry, artwork, photographs, etc.), and closing with Affirmations and Prayers.& ...Continue Reading

“….and other systems”I had wondered about the addition of “...and other systems.” to the Welcome when it took place some years ago. Here was this statement CoDA members heard over and over at every meeting attended. What important understanding is being asked of me?It happens that I personally feel more included by it. The family I grew up in was a solid, nurturing family of eight children who went on to responsible lives of contributing one way or another. Yet, I struggled for half a century with not accepting myself. ...Continue Reading

Last night I attended my very first CoDA meeting after reading every book I could find and researching codependency ceaselessly. My codependency is undeniable. My relationships have become much healthier due to my understanding of codependency; however, I need tools. I need a community of people who feel the same way I do and understand my challenges. When I turned my microphone on in the meeting, all I could do was cry. The wave of emotions took me by complete surprise. I am so grateful for this community and cannot wa ...Continue Reading

Affirmations and LessonsI am enough. I’m recovering nicely. Thanks, 🙏 God. The steps work. Sponsors make it easier. Meetings, where miracles happen.I’m exactly where I need to be. Easy does it. I wouldn’t be here if God didn’t want me here. We are blessed.Accept what is. O D A T. One day at a time. Feel the feeling. Let go and let God. Pray 🙏. Play. Give thanks. Gratitude grows.If we spot it, we got it. Promises happen. Thanks for the lessons. Enough God. Time heals. This is a we program. Trust me program. Progress.How ...Continue Reading

I entered CoDA as a confirmed atheist. Yes, I read God in the CoDA literature. The word is everywhere, and I read it without thought. At some point I felt better, and I knew this program would work for me. A few weeks later I realized CoDA is a God Program. I had a dilemma: renounce atheism which was an important aspect of my intellectual bulwark or accept CoDA, God and all. The decision was easy, I thought. CoDA was working; years of therapy did not work.Everything went smoothly; until Step Three. I worked Step Three f ...Continue Reading

AcceptanceAll my life I have struggled to be what I wanted to be. Sometimes I did things well and felt good about that; most times it was just daily routine or worse, never very satisfying. Then I discovered CoDA and the many ways my thoughts were the source of the churning in my gut. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop the thoughts; the churning continued.Then one morning as I woke up, I had a new thought, “What if, as an experiment, I decided to accept myself, including faults, strengths, everything, as I am at this moment? ...Continue Reading

Just a few years ago, I never would have believed what would become one of my favorite CoDA sayings: “Blame keeps wounds open, and forgiveness lets wounds heal.” I was too busy blaming, shaming, and seeking revenge on my alcoholic spouse for years of abuse.I've slowly come to realize I was a willing participant on that roller coaster ride. It was easier to blame someone else over and over, to ignore my own defects and to turn a blind eye, than to face my own fears; so easy to deny the facts, so difficult to face them; s ...Continue Reading

Step FourPutting myself on the list was a big eye-opener. I recognized how others rejected and abused me. I treated myself the way my mother taught me to treat myself. But I never realized or thought about how I had abandoned myself, abused myself, neglected myself, punished myself; in other words, continued the cycle. This was a totally new concept to me.I had to look at how I had rejected my Higher Power by taking things into my own hands and making a mess of my life. I set aside my moral compass. I sought out sex whe ...Continue Reading

A Brother, Boundaries, and AbuseThis is what I texted to my brother after his repeated texts about vaccines upon which we profoundly disagree, “I thought we agreed not to talk about this stuff. Please respect my boundaries around vaccine talk.”His response was a barrage of texts, name-calling, wishing me ill-will etc. I blocked him on text, so I wouldn’t be subject to his abuse. Now should I block his phone calls? Emails? Forever? How long? I sent him the rest of the money I’d been “stewarding” for him. In the past he h ...Continue Reading

Shy’s Personal Step One PrayerGod, I thank You for showing me just how powerless I am over another, and just how unmanageable my life had become - for I was blinded by my codependency. Thank You for opening my eyes and showing me that the only person I have control over is myself.God, You’ve shown me that controlling others is a false sense of security; that looking to others for direction doesn’t support me living my own life; that I have been intruding upon other’s journeys by being in their business; that thinking in ...Continue Reading

I came into the rooms of CoDA 5 1/2 years ago. My life was truly unmanageable and crazy due to the relationship with my mother. It had become so extreme I had to medicate myself just to go visit her and offer the help that she needed.The first time I heard the Patterns and Characteristics I knew I was home. I was finally in a room with people willing to talk about their painful experiences and offer hope.I jumped in with both feet. I faithfully attended three meetings every week. Eventually I found a sponsor and began w ...Continue Reading

From Scared to SacredOr, From Scarred to Sacred. I am scarred. I was scared. My life is becoming sacred. And everything that has led me to this point has helped me to create this sacred life. I now know what I want and do not want in my life. No other person directs the course of my life. I am self-directed and pray to my Higher Power for guidance and wisdom constantly.I like how the letters in scared can be moved to create the word sacred. I like how I have moved from a place of fear to a place of connection with my Hi ...Continue Reading

Call For New Submissions! Have any of the Weekly Readings or Meetings-in-Print been helpful or thought-provoking for you?Please tell us how CoDA has impacted your life. Sharing your experience, strength and hope may help thousands of codependents still suffering. Everybody in CoDA has a recovery story to tell.Consider submitting your story and sharing your insight with other CoDA members! Email: wr@coda.orgSome Possible Topics: (Could include, but not limited to)1. Sharing Strength and Hope How CoDA and the 12 Step ...Continue Reading

My Coda Experience, Hope and RecoveryI joined CoDA meetings in June 2021, after a series of unhealthy codependent relationships including a marriage of six years. I got over $10,000 in debt in my most recent relationship. I bought a car and furniture for my partner, and became incarcerated (for 14 days) when trying to break up a fight that he was involved in. I was charged with assault amongst other charges. Afterwards I realized it was time that I make some positive changes to improve myself and my life.Thankfully, I h ...Continue Reading

Steps 1, 2, and 3 in Action Step One: We admitted we were powerless over others - that our lives had become unmanageable.“Delivery exception. Incorrect address-apartment/suite number,” was the latest shipping company’s delivery update status for a package my husband and I were excitedly awaiting. Dread instantly filled the pits of my stomach, then annoyance made its way up to my chest, and then anger filled my heart, my face, turning it I’m sure red! Isn’t it amazing how quickly we go from one emotion to the next?I call ...Continue Reading

I joined CoDA in September 2019, and that was my first experience with 12 Steps. In CoDA I have learned about my codependent behaviors and how they are not who I am. I have mourned the damage that my codependence has inflicted on my children, my co-workers, and the suffering it has caused me.I can now identify my behaviors when I am in them or shortly afterwards. I now look for internal validation. This has been and continues to be very challenging for me.  My initial reaction is to seek to have my needs met extern ...Continue Reading

There is a sweet spot in my recovery. I call it the CoDA train. I got on this train in August of 2016. I boarded it in a state of Denial; the city was Survival. As the train gained speed, I looked at the schedule next to the door and found my destination to be Guilt and Shame. I sat down and thought OH NO! I got on the wrong train. But then I thought Survival and Denial are behind me now; maybe there is another connection.I took a flyer out of the seatback, and it said there was a CoDA meeting in the club car at 12:15. ...Continue Reading

Hi, my name is Don and I am codependent. I am blessed. God has given much to me since my first meeting August 9, 2003.My God removed my rage, addiction to alcohol and sexual acting out -- all in my home meeting.Every day I work the Steps, especially Step 1. My wife died in 2007 and in 2019 I remarried. Although I did not intend this it gives me a recovery barometer. My wife does or does not do things that used to upset me in my past marriage. For reasons that I do not understand the behaviors do not upset, annoy, or bot ...Continue Reading

As I was journaling with my Higher Power recently, I learned something about myself. I was writing about my marriage relationship and observing my partner's codependent behaviors which are usually different than mine. Keeping my boundaries in place, I did my best to be honest and objective in my observations. As I did, it was as if my HP turned on a light switch in my mind. All of a sudden it was clear that when my partner acted like a victim, consequently, so did I. The clarity was abrupt and impactful. I realized that ...Continue Reading

A New BeginningHi, my name is Darren and am a codependent. This is the first time I have submitted anything like this but felt it in my heart to do so.I am a treble winner. I first came into 12 Step programs in 2009. I left around 2014. During this time a friend mentioned CoDA. My ‘stinking thinking’ took over. “I am in two fellowships and am not doing another.” Today I am so grateful I am a treble winner and would like to share my journey as a newcomer in the early days of the CoDA program.My sponsor suggested CoDA aft ...Continue Reading

When I read the CoDA message today, I thought of my sister.I was so dependent on her when I was a little girl. I admired her and she was my caretaker. And most of the time, she rebuffed and rejected me.The CoDA reading was about the freedom that comes with acceptance that I cannot force someone to love me and I am not obligated to love either.I am now in a good relationship where I am not rebuffed or rejected and I see myself at times wanting to discount this person, to say he isn't that important to me or he's not that ...Continue Reading

Change of State of Mind At one moment I feel like I have so much to say as a part of my story, and the very next moment I feel like swallowing all that I want to say in this digital footprint.When I was young, I repeatedly felt worthless when any of my comrades had high achievements. Consequently, I surrounded myself with troubled people who could not make me jealous, thereby walking right into codependency. Now that I’ve gained better insight, I’d say to the young me, “it was never their responsibility to make you feel ...Continue Reading

My therapist laughs when I say that the pandemic hasn't affected me too much because it's not my fault. I laugh too. I couldn't have laughed before CoDA.It's the truth. It's terrible for a lot of people but I am not overwhelmed by it. For years I lived with catastrophic dramas that were not really happening or caused myself a lot of pain for people who couldn't or didn’t care about me.Now something bad is happening but I've learned how to be me—how to like and maybe even love me and that I can rely on myself. That's wha ...Continue Reading

Hello, my name is Caryn and I'm a recovering codependent.I had been to a variety of 12-Step meetings to support friends and that is how I was introduced to CoDA around 2007. I bought every booklet and pamphlet on the literature table and didn't come back until I went through a serious breakup and realized that I could not get through the pain on my own. My Higher Power guided me to look up the program and find a meeting. When I entered that room, it was the same place I'd been to so many years earlier and an old-timer r ...Continue Reading

Control Leads to Loneliness  The more I tried to control,The lonelier it got. My expectations raised,And those around me scattered. My disappointments leaked out,And those around me disappeared. Resentments boiled inside me...And those around me were quiet. It was then that I looked And I realized why I was alone.The more I tried to control,The lonelier I got. That was the day I accepted the first step. I finally admitted I was powerless over others and that my life had become unmanageable.  Jan – 7/4/21  ...Continue Reading

My Sixth Year Chip June 2021 This past year has been challenging for everyone, including me. When the Covid lockdown started, I was amazingly comfortable with the isolation and ignoring my CoDA recovery work. Life was fine and I now had another free weeknight. Then a member of our group decided to head up an online meeting for our group and reached out to several of us to assist in the process. I was enjoying the online meetings, even with our smaller group and with the new people drifting in and out. I could ...Continue Reading

Hi CoDA Family,I've been in CoDA since 4/28/21. I'm getting in touch with my inner child. I thank the program so much for introducing me to him. He has been confined and sad for a long time. I knew I was in turmoil but didn't know an inner child existed, much less how to parent one. I've been in AA 35 years and Al-Anon 10; they prepared me for CoDA. My inner child and I were traumatized early in life, and it took years of therapy and 12 Step work before we could face each other. To make matters worse, my father inapprop ...Continue Reading

I see.  I see me. I see my worth and value. I see my excuses and my avoidance. I see my innate goodness. I see my denial and my control.I see my strength and determination.I see my obsession and my fear. I see my guilt and “overreactive conscience” controlling my actions and dependence.I see my budding power and divinity.I see my ability to say “no” or “yes.”I see my growth and progress.I see me.I finally see me. I see you. I see your value and worth. I see your humanity – your mistakes and weaknesses mixed wi ...Continue Reading

Hello Esteemed Reader,The Co-NNections committee is reaching out to you for help. When the CoDA.org website was revamped a few digital copies of Meeting In Print issues were lost. If you downloaded or printed any of the following issues, we'd appreciate you letting us know so that we can put them back up on the website.  We are missing:  Edition 1 (September 2016)  Edition 2 (December 2016) Edition 3 (March 2017) Edition 4 (July 2017) Edition 5 (September 2017)  Edition 12 (June 2019)P ...Continue Reading

This is a poem I wrote when I decided I was ready to start working the STEPS. What if today I started a new chapter? A new beginning.What if I found myself with no one to fix?  What if I decided to take control over my life and not yours.What if I realized my loneliness was because I didn’t feel needed anymore?What if my heart, mind and soul finally admitted that I was truly codependent. What if my heart was pounding now, really pounding.What if I had allowed myself to accept the things I cannot chan ...Continue Reading

https://coda.org/wp-content/uploads/CoDA-MiP-September-2021-Ed.-20.pdf /Meeting in Print/ /(MiP)/, a CoDA Co-NNections subcommittee, is proud to announce that the latest issue of its publication, themed /"I Am Still Me"/ MiP is a quarterly publication that gives you the feeling of a live meeting while opening up space for texts, poetry, artwork and even music to help the CoDA community towards recovery. Each edition contains the following elements required in a CoDA group:[*]Welcome [*]Preamble ...Continue Reading

Experience, Strength, and Hope Here I sit at the end of yet another romantic relationship ravaged by addiction and all its tenant sufferings. The irony is after being in recovery for a decade, I thought I had finally found a healthy person to fully partner with. As I've just discovered, he too has untreated mental illness, untreated addiction and pent up childhood abuse and trauma, like many of the men I've chosen all my life. The most beautiful part of this most recent break up is I haven't lost myself or my life. I've ...Continue Reading

Hello! I am a codependent in search for recovery.To me, being in recovery is being in peace.Obvious, that I, like a good codependent, am always attracting situations that take out my inner peace.CODA program helps me identify these situations and disconnect myself from them.However, many times, I don't want to.In those moments, I suffer.In those moments, I need a lot of help from my High Power, to have the strength and courage to do His will, not mine.I have a strength believe that the will of my High Power to me is for ...Continue Reading

I am a recovering addict clean for 4 months now and I have just discovered through CODA that I am a very co-dependent person also. I do struggle with depression along with high and low mood swings at times. I live each day absolutely one day at a time. With childhood trauma, a family that lived to gaslight me it seems, and addiction outcomes from using, all resulting into PTSD. I've finally been directed plainly enough for my very confused mind to understand and engage in CODA that has really opened doors to me finding ...Continue Reading

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot changeI was raised by a narcissist mother who turned her back on me when I first got married. My spouse was verbally abusive and an alcoholic. I ended my first marriage five years ago only to find myself in two more relationships with narcissists.CoDA helped me to dig deep into myself and to figure out my need to be in toxic relationships and my fear of being alone. I discovered I had huge abandonment issues from childhood because my mother left me in a room at fiv ...Continue Reading

“A Higher Power gifted opportunity”My name is Dan and I am a 34 year old grateful member living in Madrid, Spain. I have been coming to the program long enough to know I want to continue to seek prolonged recovery from the effects of the family illnesses of addiction and alcoholism. Since my journey in recovery, I have had plenty of opportunities to work with two sponsors on resentments.I came into the program burdened with many resentments towards my mother. I blamed her for all my trials and tribulations with romantic ...Continue Reading

  *“We are free. I am free.”* search of recovery.To me, being in recovery is being in peace.Obviously I, like a good codependent, am always attracting situations that take out my inner peace.The CoDA program helps me identify these situations and disconnect myself from them.However, many times, I don't want to.In those moments, I suffer.In those moments, I need a lot of help from my Higher Power, to have the strength and courage to do His will, not mine.I have a strong belief that the will of my Higher Power i ...Continue Reading

*“CoDA has really opened the door for me”* I am a recovering addict, clean for 4 months now, and I have just discovered through CoDA that I am a very codependent person also. I do struggle with depression along with high and low mood swings at times. I live each day absolutely one day at a time. Childhood trauma, a family that lived to gaslight me it seems, and addiction outcomes from using substances have resulted in PTSD.I've finally been directed plainly enough for my very confused mind to understand and engage ...Continue Reading

*The Sunken Place* I wrote this as I was entering another relationship where I knew I would lose myself to their desires and wishes, where I already saw the pattern happening that I had played out so many times before. I wrote it before I knew I was codependent or why I kept going through this. I wrote this because I was terrified, because I felt like I was about to lose myself all over again, and nothing is scarier than that.    *_The Sunken Place_* My weakness brings me to my kneesBut not in h ...Continue Reading

Hot MessMy life before CoDA, well let’s just say it was a “Hot Mess”I have been in one toxic relationship after the other. I found myself always choosing partners that had a long laundry list of problems: drugs, alcohol addictions, emotionally unavailable. For as long as I can remember, I was accepting of my partners’ unhealthy habits, even thrived on them in a way I guess you could say. Thinking I could be the hero in their lives. Yes, I was going to be the one to make a difference in their lives. I was going to be the ...Continue Reading

MY STORY  as I grow in recovery, I grow in greater self-love ~ in the discovery of who I am.All else fades away.The pain gets less every day.As balance comes to play~ I know one day this skin I'm in,will feel easier to live in~one day at a time. By, Alison M. - 2/2021  Everybody in CoDA has a story to tell. Sharing yours may help thousands of codependents still suffering. We are always accepting submissions. Please contribute your experience, strength and hope by emailing your sto ...Continue Reading

‘Loyalty to Self Needs Always Comes First’I was raised to be pleasing to other people. On both sides of my family, my job was simple. Make us look good. Obey. And keep your mouth shut. I became so adept at these things that I completely lost any sense of my true identity. At the age of 19, I was suspended from college in an alcohol-related incident that had codependence and sex addiction at its roots. Exiled to a farm in California (a nice farm, but still), I was blessed to receive a book from my mother in the mail abou ...Continue Reading

‘Living Gratefully’Through my recovery in a 12-step program, I have learned to live the type of life I was created for, happy and in peace. I discovered what Carmen thinks, feels, and wants. How Grateful I am.Before Coda, I did not know what the purpose of my life was. I will live a life surrounded by my codependent patterns, a disaster, chaos just by simply reacting to what happens at the moment and not thinking of healthier choices. My emotions were imbalanced. My codependence patterns were guiding me to live in miser ...Continue Reading