Addiction and Relationships: The Hard Truth About the Impact of Addiction

Prolonging this with therapy right now is going to frustrate you both. First Steps Recovery is part of the Sirona Behavioral Health network of addiction treatment providers. You may want to agree to a system that will help you rebuild trust, like promising to always call your spouse if you’ll be home late.

• Now, I love those rituals of connection.
• When you focus on marriage and sobriety, you can often become bogged down.
• They feel they are not enough or wanted once the former addict becomes a full functioning independent adult and may walk out of the marriage.
• So how we define terms really makes a difference.
• They congratulate me for “putting up with it,” for putting up with him, but this is not a badge I wear proudly.

For some it has to be abstention, for others controlling the alcohol intake plus counselling to understand the reasons for drinking. A good first port of call is your GP. Generally, partners seek help before the drinkers do.

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If a couple has used the tools to grow a healthy relationship, they could find themselves in a thriving marriage. They have grown together, and together they have grown stronger. The marriage won’t look the same as it used to, back in the days of addiction, but that can be a good thing. I don’t know if it’s still a character defect that I want to hang onto him.

The seeds of trust sprouted in that forgiveness. Our marriage was reborn through the power of resentments forgiven. This time had one fundamental difference.

Us Vs. Them: Why Sobriety Wasn’t the Marriage Saver I Thought It Would Be

An outpatient program can be especially helpful as couples navigate their relationship during this newfound phase of sobriety. The patterns and interactions that were established during addiction are basically obliterated. A husband who used to stay out late drinking will now be spending much more time at home. A wife previously addicted to painkillers to numb difficult emotions or situations will now have to deal with them head-on, without the aid of substances.

That’s what keeps relationships fresh and new. And yeah, updating each other with Well, now that I’m a little bit older, the kids a little bit older. These are the things that are coming up for me that I didn’t have time to deal with earlier in my life, but something I want to explore now. I mean, and I think when you said updated love maps, that’s something that that is important, right?

Addiction and Relationship Statistics

It’s kind of more neutral, and non-reactive, just the way you’re describing it. Now, the thing that impacts the ability to do that also, sometimes is kind of looking at our own family history. So, if you grew up in a family where there’s a lot of blame and accusation, then you may have learned, you know what, I’d rather be the hammer than the nail. So, I’m going to come back with a counterattack, defensive reaction, because that’s what I learned. That’s the number one thing I had a client many years ago say he was talking his drinking, or trying to anyway, that was his intention.

You may find that you indeed a professional to help guide you through the many hurts you have a face as a result of your spouse struggling with an addiction. When your loved one was in active addiction, it’s likely that part of your identity was based on their addiction. A lot of your life revolved around worrying about them, trying Top 5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing Sober House to get them to change, and taking on their responsibilities around the home. Finding support is especially important if you felt isolated while your spouse was in active addiction. If it felt like your life revolved around their addiction, then you’ll need to lean on like-minded people who can understand and support you.

Let them know that you understand this is not their fault, and that you are here to help them get through it like any other health issue. When a loved one is addicted to a substance, some people develop a set of behaviors, thoughts, and actions known as codependency. Codependency occurs when the non-addicted person gets their needs met by caretaking for the addicted individual. Codependent partners typically enable their loved ones, make excuses for their partner’s actions, and feel like a martyr.

We were not yet engaged nor married. The most challenging decision I had to consider was whether to stay or leave the relationship. Though I did not doubt that we loved each other, the chaos of addiction had eroded our trust in each other, and my life no longer felt my own. You can also attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings together or go to Al- Anon. It’s important for the recovering addict that his or her spouse be involved in the recovery process. Attending support groups like these can help build an understanding of what addiction is and how to deal with an alcoholic or other recovering addict in a healthy and supportive manner.