| Melody Lynn Beattie | |
| Birth Date: | 2 July 1948 |
| Birth Place: | St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Education: | High School |
| Alma Mater: | Minnehaha Academy |
| Genre: | Self-help books |
| Subject: | Relationships |
| Notableworks: | Codependent No More |
Melody Beattie (born on July 2, 1948) is an American author of self-help books on codependent relationships.[1]
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]
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]