The traditional stereo-typical view of co-dependency was of the long suffering spouse of an alcoholic. She (because stereo-typically it was a woman) would spend years propping up her “no-good” alcoholic husband, covering up all his drunken misdemeanors, apologizing on his behalf and generally conducting her duty with “the patience of a saint” When her drunken spouse finally saw the light and got himself into recovery, suddenly she would find herself adrift, floating in a void without meaning or purpose.
