Free Codependency (CoDA) Meeting — Columbia, MD | Serenity Center
The New Hope Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) group meets every Saturday at noon through The Serenity Center in Columbia, Maryland, a nonprofit 12-step meeting facility that has served the Howard County recovery community since 1993. CoDA is a fellowship for people whose common purpose is to develop healthy, loving relationships. If you keep finding yourself over-giving, people-pleasing, managing other people’s feelings, or losing track of your own needs inside relationships, this is a room built for exactly that.
What to Expect
New Hope CoDA meets Saturdays at 12:00 PM. On the first, third, and fourth Saturdays of the month the meeting is held on Zoom (Meeting ID 765 280 322, password 321362). On the second Saturday, the group meets in person at The Serenity Center, 9650 Basket Ring Road in Columbia. Like other CoDA meetings, it follows a peer-led 12-step format: readings from CoDA literature, a topic or step discussion, and time for members to share their experience without crosstalk or advice-giving. Nobody is required to speak, and newcomers are welcome to simply listen. The Serenity Center itself hosts AA, NA, Al-Anon, ACA, OA and other fellowship meetings throughout the week, so if CoDA is not the right fit there are related rooms under the same roof.
Who This Group Is For
Adults in Columbia, Howard County, and the Baltimore–Washington corridor who want healthier relationships. The only requirement for membership is a desire for healthy and loving relationships. You do not need a diagnosis, a referral, or a history with any other 12-step program. People come to CoDA from all kinds of backgrounds, including partners and adult children of people with addictions, people recovering from controlling or enmeshed family systems, and people who simply notice the same painful relationship patterns repeating.
Why Peer Support Works
Codependent patterns are learned in relationships, and they tend to unlearn best in relationships too. Hearing other members describe the same fear of conflict, the same difficulty saying no, and the same urge to fix everyone can be a relief in itself. Mutual-help groups like CoDA offer something therapy alone often cannot: a weekly community of people practicing boundaries and honesty together, at no cost, for as long as you need it. The 12-step structure gives that practice a shape, and the group gives it accountability.
How to Join
Just show up. Join by Zoom on the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays at noon using the details on The Serenity Center’s CoDA page, or attend in person on the 2nd Saturday at 9650 Basket Ring Road, Columbia, MD 21045. Meetings are free; a voluntary Seventh Tradition contribution is welcome but never required. Questions about the facility can be directed to The Serenity Center at 410-884-6088.