Melody Beattie (born on July 2, 1948) is an American author of self-help books on codependent relationships.[1]

Melody Lynn Beattie
Born (1948-07-02) July 2, 1948 (age 76)
St. Paul, Minnesota
EducationHigh School
Alma materMinnehaha Academy
GenreSelf-help books
SubjectRelationships
Notable worksCodependent No More
Website
melodybeattie.com Edit this at Wikidata

Education and career

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Born Melody Vaillancourt in Minneapolis, Beattie graduated from high school with honors. She began drinking at age 12, was an alcoholic by age 13, and a drug addict by 18.[2][3]

Beattie published 18 books including Codependent No More, Beyond Codependency, The Language of Letting Go and Make Miracles in Forty Days: Turning What You Have into What You Want, published in 2010. Several of her books have been published in other languages.[4][5]

Ideas

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Beattie, along with Janet G. Woititz and Robin Norwood, were popularizers of science, helping to digest and explain the work of psychiatrist Timmen L. Cermak, author of Diagnosing and Treating Co-Dependence.[6] Beattie popularized the concept of codependency in 1986 with Codependent No More, which sold eight million copies.[7][8]

Codependent No More was first published by the Hazelden Foundation.[9]

Beattie's early works also served as the first the Big Book for a 12-Step program called Co-Dependents Anonymous. Although "CoDA" now has a conference-approved (official) "the Big Book" of its own, Beattie's works continue to be central texts in some CoDA meetings.[10]

Beattie lost her son in a skiing accident in 1991.

References

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  1. ^ "BEST Melody Beattie Books & Quotes of All Time (February 2023) | The Art of Living". theartofliving.com. 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  2. ^ Beattie, Melody. "About author". melodybeattie.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  3. ^ Taylor, Elizabeth (1990-12-10). "MELODY BEATTIE: Taking Care of Herself". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  4. ^ Beattie, Melody (1990). The language of letting go : daily meditations on codependency. [Center City, MN]. ISBN 0-89486-637-0. OCLC 22186171.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Beattie, Melody (2010). Make miracles in forty days : turning what you have into what you want (1st ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-0215-2. OCLC 310397914.
  6. ^ Travis, Trish (2009). The Language of the Heart, A Cultural History of the Recovery Movement from Alcoholics Anonymous to Oprah Winfrey. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-8078-3319-3.
  7. ^ J. S. Rice, A Disease of One's Own (1998) p. 2
  8. ^ "Bluebird to publish revised and updated version of Beattie's classic book on codependency". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  9. ^ Taking Care of Herself – TIME
  10. ^ Co-dependent no more celebrates 20th anniversary. | Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly (, 2007)
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