One thing that the addiction treatment program in Minnesota is acutely aware of is that the family of a person who is under an addiction can act as codependents in the addiction. This is actually happening a lot with substance abuse in Minnesota and it is one of the reasons why most people within the state who are into addictions are not getting the kind of treatment that they should. In fact, substance abuse resources in Minnesota state that only 10% of Minnesotans who are under addiction are getting treatment for their condition. For the rest 90% who are not getting treatment, family codependency is one important contributing factor.

Codependency happens when the family, often unwittingly, pushes the person further into the addiction. Now suppose that a young man in a family smokes pot. The family knows this. But in order to avoid ridicule in society, they may mask this habit in their son. They may even go to the extent of clearing the air in the room where their son has smoked before the visitors arrive. By doing all this, they are giving the wrong signals to the young man. They are telling him, indirectly, that marijuana is acceptable and that they will disguise his habit as far as possible.

Will such a person take his habit seriously then? Such are the kinds of people that are kept away from substance abuse treatment in Minnesota by codependent parents. The state is campaigning strongly for awareness of the problem and is also counseling parents individually so that they can recognize this problem and come out of it for the good of all.