How To Help A Partner Or Spouse Struggling With Drug Abuse And Addiction

Introduction

Our houses are supposed to be safe havens for us, and our personal relationships are supposed to make us feel protected.

Being in a relationship with a partner who is addicted to alcohol or drugs, on the other hand, might result in an unhealthy relationship characterized by emotional tension and abuse.

A close connection with an addictive partner can cause instability, negativity, emotional upheaval, and even violence.

Substance misuse can damage a relationship by eroding trust and weakening the link between couples.

Infinite Recovery has professionals to help you in these contexts. So, if your partner or spouse is also suffering from drug addiction, you can also get their assistance. Just check their website, and you can get it now.

Statistics

In 2015, 7.7 million Americans aged 12 and above said they were currently using illegal substances. In 2016, it was projected that 27.1 million Americans aged 12 and above were using illicit drugs.

In 2017, 138.3 million Americans aged 12 and above said they had recently used alcohol. In addition, 66.7 million people in this category admitted to binge drinking in the previous month.

In 2018, 22.2 million people aged 12 and up in the United States were current marijuana users. In addition, 8.3% of this cohort said they had used marijuana in the previous month.

In 2019, about 1.6 million adults aged 18 to 25 and 4.3 million adults aged 26 and above reported using psychotherapeutic medicines for non-medical reasons, including prescription pain relievers, tranquilizers, and stimulants.

How Does Substance Abuse Affect Relationships?

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy defines a cycle of conflict in domestic partnerships in which substance abuse leads to verbal and physical confrontation, which leads to more disputes about substance usage.

Alcohol and drugs can impair judgment, elicit sentiments of rage and resentment, and create an environment conducive to domestic strife.

In the rehabilitation process, any abuse experiences or possible symptoms of abuse must be treated very seriously. Individuals who verbally or physically assault their partners may be required to attend anger management classes and may face legal sanctions, depending on the severity of the assault.

Anyone who believes they are in danger from an abusive partner should seek aid from the authorities, a healthcare practitioner, or a substance abuse treatment expert as soon as possible.

How To Support A Partner Without Enabling?

If you find your partner lying, making excuses, or making up stories to keep you in the dark, you’re definitely enabling your partner.

When a loved one is reliant on another in a relationship, this is called codependency. For example, codependent spouses may become enablers when a partnership deals with a substance abuse problem.

In some circumstances, the codependent loses their sense of self in the overwhelming desire to “rescue” their spouse from addiction. Nevertheless, as the partner approaches Recovery, the codependent may impede the process to maintain feelings of power or self-esteem.

How Substance Abuse Affects A Marriage?

When faced with chaos, which is frequent in a home when a parent is addicted, family members develop undesirable coping techniques. For example, to compensate for the spouse or parent’s neglect of tasks, an addicted individual’s children are sometimes assigned more responsibilities at home.

As family members go through unpleasant or uncomfortable events, and as the addicted family member’s deviant behaviors become commonplace, the reality is distorted. Substance abuse and divorce are linked to a slew of issues for the spouse’s children.

Furthermore, the relationship itself is frequently absent.

Alcohol-addicted males are more likely to have strained relationships with their wives. According to a study released by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, their wives report reduced sexual satisfaction and increased sexual dysfunction, including impotence.

These problems produce a lot of stress for the non-addicted spouse, and they lead to bad habits, destructive thinking, and low quality of life.

It’s no surprise, however, that roughly half of these marriages end in divorce, according to the study quoted earlier.

How Can You Help Them Get The Right Treatment?

Divorce has a harmful impact on children in and of itself. For example, children with divorced parents are more likely to use drugs or alcohol than their two-parent peers, and they are more likely to develop behavioral and mental health issues later in life.

Despite the substantial correlation between substance misuse and divorce, many people are able to recover from their addictions and save their marriages. Treatment helps end substance misuse, addiction, dependence and strengthens relationships and the family system’s function.

A high-quality treatment program can help if your loved one’s addiction impacts your marriage. But, how should you help your partner here? Let’s find out:

1. Be supportive. Lend them a helping hand and a shoulder to cry on. Rather than passing judgments on how their addiction has ruined your life, listen to their problems and find out what drove them to get addicted in the first place.
2. Accompany them to the therapies. Just because you have more responsibilities on your shoulder doesn’t mean you won’t support your partner in this challenging time. Always remember that tough times come in everyone’s life, and they go away as well. So, have faith, and attend a therapy session together.
3. Motivate them to exercise. You can accompany them to the gym or create a home gym and exercise together. Many treatment centers will recommend you be physically active, so you better learn to accompany your partner during this time.

Lend A Helping Hand!!!

Conflicts over parenting obligations, neglect, or abuse can arise due to one partner’s – or sometimes both spouses’ – drinking or drug usage if there are children in the relationship.

Divorce and substance abuse are intricately linked. According to CASA, when children grow up with addicted parents, they lose faith in relationships, tend to cohabit with a partner, don’t want to get married, and tend to be divorced than their peers.

If you don’t want your children to end up that way, you must do something about your partner’s addiction right away. For further questions, reach us in the comment section.