Originally Posted by
Givenup2018 
co-dependency is putting another first in everything, enabling them, covering for them, making excuses for them, allowing them to walk all over your boundaries, regardless of their unhealthy behavior and never asking nor receiving anything in terms of meeting your needs in return, much to your own detriment.
This is exactly what I observed with senior parents and relatives. Piperdream nailed because they wind/wound up minimizing their place in the relationship.
In the case of many alcoholic/addicted children families frequently let their adult children run amok.