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Addiction Recovery Advice for Couples: How to Heal Together
Many people in the U.S. are struggling with addiction. If you or your spouse are suffering from addiction, your marriage could be threatened. However, with the right professional help, it’s still possible to salvage your marriage and overcome addiction. Here is some advice from Seniors in Sobriety that can help you in your recovery.
Help Your Spouse Get Treatment
As difficult as it is, you’ll need to talk to your spouse about their addiction – preferably when they are sober and in a good mood. Discuss the issue in a non-judgmental way and speak calmly. Talk honestly about how the addiction affects you and your marriage.
If your spouse denies they have a problem or refuses to seek help, consider staging an intervention. Talk to their close friends and loved ones to get them involved. Consider enlisting the help of an intervention specialist.
There are various treatment options available including outpatient, inpatient, 12-step programs, medication, family therapy, and individual therapy. The intervention specialist will help you find an addiction expert who will guide you in choosing the most suitable treatment approach.
Support Your Spouse Through Recovery
Create a positive and healthy living environment that promotes health and sobriety. Keep up a consistent family routine. Promote positivity by keeping your home clean and decluttered. Attend couples counseling sessions regularly to work on your relationship. Learn about addiction, treatment, and recovery. It will help you understand your partner’s journey and be able to offer support accordingly.
Take Care of Yourself
It is essential to take care of yourself. Otherwise, you can easily be sucked into a self-destructive pattern. Find ways to cope with your stress, communicate effectively, and avoid codependency. Join support groups that help family members, spouses, and caretakers who are dealing with a loved one’s addiction.
Mind your work-life balance as well, to make sure you’re giving yourself enough time for self-care. After all, you’ve already learned that when you’re in a relationship, what impacts one person impacts the other, as well. So spend some time committing to self-care activities such as exercise, taking up a hobby, socializing, eating well, and getting enough quality sleep.
Pursue Your Own Goals
It’s vital to continue moving forward with your life, including practicing self-care, taking care of your household, and tending your career goals. Sometimes adjustments need to be made in order to juggle it all. Maybe you need to lean on family members for the occasional errand or pet/child care. You can ask your employer for remote work options, or if you’re going back to school, transition to a remote learning opportunity.
Consider this option if you plan to go back to school: an MBA from an accredited online university. Not only can you pursue classes on your own schedule (and from any location), your degree will help you in a variety of career goals when you are done because an MBA is a very versatile degree.
Separation Among Couples in Recovery Treatment
It is devastating watching your partner’s health deteriorate. You have to deal with difficult issues such as lying, instances of aggression, unpredictable mood changes, inability to meet their responsibilities, and financial strain. It is especially difficult if your addicted spouse refuses to seek treatment.
Your spouse’s addiction may have adverse effects on you, and you may feel like you are permanently tied to a sinking ship. Amid the seemingly unending challenges and hopelessness, it would be understandable if you wanted to file for a divorce. But you may want to consider a separation first.
A separation could be the wake-up call that your spouse needs to take action to deal with their addiction, and it gives you some space to think clearly and get help for yourself. However, you may need to consider divorce if your spouse is abusive or habitually unfaithful, their addiction and behavior pose a danger to you or your family members, or their addiction has caused a financial crisis. Talk to an attorney to determine the best way to go about it.
If you need some space or if it’s time to start over, find a suitable and affordable living situation. Take the stress out of finding a new place by visiting an apartment-finding site online. You can tailor your search to what you’re willing to spend and amenities you desire.
Be Kind to Yourself and Your Partner
Recovery is a difficult process for the addict and their support system. Be patient with yourself and your partner. Recovery takes time, commitment, and effort. Work with an addiction specialist to get the help you need to start repairing your marriage and take advantage of the many resources available to you to preserve your mental health during this process.
Are you looking for a supportive community of others in recovery? Then visit Seniors in Sobriety and look into joining some of our many events!
Thanks to Teresa Greenhill