Codependency: How to break free and live your own life

by David Stafford, Liz Hodgkinson

Codependent is a relatively new term for people who have to depend on others for their own sense of self-worth and self-esteem. They often come from alcoholic or other dysfunctional families where there are rigid roles and behaviour patterns, and they have little sense of personal identity, concentrating instead on being needed. They can excel at coping and caring, but underneath there is always the wish to comply (ie to please others) and control (to manipulate others). This can lead to illness and depression and an inability to form satisfactory relationships. With the use of case histories, this book aims to show how codependency starts, how it manifests itself and how the problems it causes can be overcome.

146 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

David Stafford is a writer, broadcaster and occasional musician born in Birmingham, England. David began his career in fringe and community theatre in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, he collaborated and toured with Alexei Sayle, which resulted in two series for Capital Radio, two films for TV ('Itch and Didn't You Kill My Brother?), a book, Great Bus Journeys of the World, and various songs and recordings including Doctor Marten’s Boots. At the same time he was a presenter on the Channel 4 consumer programme 4 What It’s Worth and contributed to many arts programmes and documentaries including The Media Show (Channel 4) and extensively to The Late Show (BBC2). His TV plays include Dread Poets Society (BBC2) co-written with the poet Benjamin Zephaniah, My Little Grey Home In The West and Catherine. For ten years he wrote a weekly column for the Saturday Guardian, eventually called Staffordshire Bull. During the 1990s, he presented Tracks for BBC2, Going Places for BBC Radio 4 and was a regular panellist on Radio 4’s literary parody game Booked. David frequently stood in for John Peel as the presenter of Home Truths (BBC Radio 4). After Peel’s death, he became first one of the pool of presenters and later sole presenter of the programme. For the past five years he has taught a screenwriting course at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good starting point for learning about codependency.