Mini Series 10 - The Hidden Ally

Busting Addiction and Its Myths

You’ve probably heard the term “enabler”. It’s one that’s often charged with judgment and stigma. That’s because one feels accused of aiding and abetting addictive behaviour and it doesn’t feel at all fair because you do what you do out of love. More than a role, enabling is a dynamic that arises in specific scenarios. People who engage in enabling behaviour behaviours aren’t the “bad guy”, but their actions have the potential to promote and support unhealthy behaviours in others.
In many cases, enabling begins as an effort to support a loved one who may be having a hard time with life at the moment.
If you think about it, it would be hard to find a person who is completely aware that they are engaging in enabling behaviour and go ahead and do it anyway.
Enabling behaviour is the invisible ally of the addiction. Denial, minimising, excusing, explaining, covering are well-intentioned or unconscious.
But it is mis-guided because it simply feeds and prolongs the unhealthy behaviour.