Marriage can be a beautiful journey to embark on, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its fair share of ups and downs. You will face various situations that test you emotionally and sometimes push you to your limit as a couple. Suppose you’re dealing with a spouse with an addiction. In that case, you’ll know what we’re talking about. Addiction doesn’t just affect the person using drugs, but everyone around them too. It can wreak havoc upon marriage and leave mistrust and deception where you should have trust and security. Drug abuse can turn relationships that are supposed to provide us safety and security into a source of frustration, pain, and even violence. If your spouse is dealing with an addiction, you might feel like there’s no one to turn to. However, there are a few steps you can take to emerge from this situation. Keep reading below to find out more.
1. Get Professional Help
More often than not, dealing with addiction is something you can’t manage alone. Drugs can take over a person’s life so powerfully that they can’t make sense of anything other than their desire to use. In such a situation, your spouse will be deaf to your pleas, and you might have an incredibly challenging time ensuring they stay sober. However, treatment protocols are different for everyone. If you can support your spouse through the journey, they might not need around-the-clock care.
Seeking professional treatment can be the best choice to help your spouse maintain sobriety. Outpatient treatment is a prevalent option for those who feel well enough to avoid 24/7 rehab but still need regular check-ins. You can find these outpatient programs around your area or from online resources. For instance, if you live in Florida, you can search online by typing the Florida outpatient program to help your spouse seek professional treatment.Consistent counseling can help your spouse address the issues that push them to use and allow them to seek help when they feel like using again.
2. Support without Enabling
Enabling is easily one of the biggest mistakes that partners mistakenly make when dealing with spouses who use drugs. Support is vital to overcoming addiction and reentering everyday life. Still, there’s a fine line that keeps support from turning into enabling behaviors. Suppose you find yourself making excuses for your spouse, letting them neglect their responsibilities, and letting them abuse you. In that case, you might be fueling their addiction.
You need to support your spouse as they overcome their addiction while holding them accountable for their actions. You need to ensure you set a clear set of boundaries to keep your spouse from misusing your trust ever again. If you start feeling overwhelmed and neglected, chances are things might be going downhill again. Your support for your spouse shouldn’t come at your own expense, and you need to push them to be better without creating any excuses for them.
3. Educate Yourself
Dealing with a spouse with addiction can be a harrowing journey. It can be hard to come to terms with the truth, and many can often start questioning themselves. You might start to think that you failed somewhere, which drove your partner to drugs. Conversely, you might start to see your spouse’s repeated drug use as a sign of a moral failing or lack of self-control.
The truth is that addiction works like a disease that comes with a range of psychological and physical changes. Over time, the body can become wholly dependent on the drug, and even cutting down can cause a lot of psychological and physical pain. It can be incredibly challenging to break free from this cycle, and it isn’t anything personal. Learning more about the changes drug abuse causes can help you better understand and support your spouse. You can understand how addiction rewires the brain and can thus develop practical ways of dealing with the situation instead of feeling frustrated and angry.
4. Join a Support Group
While support is undeniably essential for the addict’s recovery, spouses dealing with an addicted partner need their fair share of support too. A marriage is a 50/50 union, with both parties contributing equally. However, when dealing with an addicted partner, you can start feeling isolated in your marriage. You might need to take on their responsibilities which can be incredibly exhausting mentally and physically. While you may lack support in your relationship, joining a support group can be an excellent substitute.
If nothing, joining a support group can show you the power of strength in numbers. Additionally, joining a group can help you feel less alone, and you can draw strength from other’s stories.
Conclusion
Living with someone with an addiction can leave you feeling helpless and alone. Addiction can make you feel as if the person you fell in love with doesn’t exist anymore, and at times it might seem impossible to return to normal. However, accessing the right resources, working with professionals, and believing in yourself and your spouse can help you make your way through. Although challenging, but with perseverance, overcoming an addiction is entirely possible. By taking the right steps, you can help restore your family to normal.
Clare Louise, a reputed physician, has dedicated a momentous segment of his career and life towards the treatment of people with serious opioid addiction issues. This above-mentioned article of his is indispensable in parting awareness about coping with and overcoming drug abuse and making some significant changes.