Family roles in co-dependency are divided into para-alcoholic and co-alcoholic reactions in situations. Co-alcoholics are adults who have a degree of choice when adapting to their dependent spouse. The behavioral responses of co-alcoholics are listed below.

In the grandiosity category, co-alcoholics will behave or act in a martyred and egotistical way when they are required to do the work of two people. When they are managing or controlling other people, they will take over the responsibilities of their spouse so that their lifestyle will remain the same. In the denial and drinking category, the individual will think magically and repress his/or her actual views in an effort to avoid facing reality (in this category other family members must have the same opinion). Next is blaming and projecting, where the individual will not admit that he/or she is wrong out of fear that it will ruin his/or her marriage. Another category is lying, where the individual becomes so used to hearing lies that he/or she begins telling them as well, producing guilt. Depression is all based on a sense of frustration and a feeling of failure. Flattened affect is the last category, which is based on suppression, where the individual will deny a drinking problem and deny that he/or she has a troubled marriage.