Self Test:

Codependence

• Are you easily absorbed by the pain and problems of others?
• Do you submerge yourself in fixing or rescuing needy people?
• Do you depend on sources outside yourself for meaning, identity, and value?
• Do you take care of other people’s pain and problems while ignoring your own?
• Do you help others at your own expense or the expense of your family?
• Do you say yes when you mean no?

Caretaking/Control

• As a child, were you the family “social worker”?
• Do you consider it your responsibility to rescue and repair people?
• Do you believe that when you have invested enough time or effort in another person, you have the right to control him/her?
• Do you find your worth or sense of value in being indispensable to others?
• Do you anticipate people’s wants and needs and try to fulfill them?
• Are you able to manage other people’s lives better than your own?
• When you have finished fixing someone, do you immediately begin looking for another “troubled” person to help?

Love/Relationship Addiction
• Do you become dependent on people to the point of taking them hostage or allowing THEM to take YOU hostage?
• Do you use others as a barometer for your self-esteem?
• Do your moods rise or fall with THEIR moods?
• Are you so attached to anyone (parent, child, friend, spouse or lover) that you can’t make a move without consulting them?
• Have you ever considered suicide when someone rejected you or showed disapproval?
• Do you believe you can “heal” sick people with your love?
• Do you find great satisfaction in being desired, needed, or wanted?

Compulsive Spending & Debting

• Do you use shopping or spending to lift your mood or improve your self-esteem?2.Do your spending/debting habits create conflict that affects your home life in a negative way?
• Does the financial pressure caused by spending or debting distract you from your daily work?
• Have you ever given false information in order to obtain credit?
• When faced with financial stress, does the thought of borrowing money give you a great sense of relief?
• When your spouse or children ask for their legitimate financial needs to be met, do you use your debts or financial problems as an excuse not to attend to their needs?
• Do you nurse the fantasy that life will be great when you get out of debt and meanwhile do everything necessary to STAY in debt?

For further information, call
Argie Spuck at 954.822.9793 or
email me at Argie@argiespuck.com.