Addicts and Codependents are unable to choose real love without being grounded in sound moral values. The founders of AA encouraged the recovering alcoholic to inventory the seven deadly sins, for recovery meant - not simply giving up drinking - but embracing a moral life-style, otherwise one would simply be a "dry drunk". As a priest who has worked with the 12-step program for over thirty years, Fr. Emmerich combines traditional Christian spiritual principles with the wisdom of the Steps. An undertanding of the moral virtues and the extremes that set a person up to become an addict or codependent is addressed in this study. For centuries Western culture has provided a moral sense of the deadlness of sin. Today's culture easily throws off the wisdom of the ages thereby has increased vulnerability to addiction and codependence. The seven deadly sins are shown to be desructive of the love of God and the love of neighbor that should guide a Christian's actions. A very real and profound moral disorder is found in the unrecovered person. The person who abuses himself and others through addiction and codependency in truth does not love himself, and if a person does not love and care for himself, he cannnot love and care for those he should. There is nothing so beautiful and salvific as the revelation of God's love, which alone makes man fully alive. We communicate this love by His grace, which heals the wounds of addiction and sets us free to love.