Drinking heavily and doing drugs are casual habits that can quickly become uncontrollable for many people. For couples, spending a night “blowing off steam” can turn into a devastating cycle of abuse, anger, resentment, and violence. Substance abuse can harm your relationships with your loved ones. There are many ways that you can help stop the problem and get help for you or your loved one. Read on to learn more about how substance abuse harms relationships and how you can repair the damage.
How To Know When Substance Use Is Harming Relationships
People who drink or do drugs excessively suffer from severe health problems that include depression as well as serious physical illnesses. Although treatment for substance abuse focuses primarily on the addicted person, those who are closest to that person suffer too. When substance abuse becomes a problem, the sober or non-addicted partner is often the first to know. This is because they are also the first person to take the abuse. Stopping the descent into addiction is possible, especially when you take steps to address the addiction early on. The signs of substance use are not always clear. For example, you may not notice your loved one drinking in the morning or exhibiting other common signs of addictive behavior. However, you may begin arguing more about substance use. This often occurs when one partner stays out too late or ignores important responsibilities. If you have worsening money problems, that can also indicate that addiction is a problem. It is important to learn about the ways that substance abuse can harm relationships. Then, you can recognize these problems early on and treat them. When substance abuse becomes a problem, then feelings of resentment begin increasing. This is especially true if one partner has to make excuses for the other’s behavior, such as missing work because of drug or alcohol use. There are many other signs that substance abuse is an ongoing problem. For example, someone in the relationship may exhibit violent or aggressive behavior. They may begin to isolate themselves to hide the addiction. Or, they may start relying on drugs or alcohol to relieve stress or to express deeply hidden feelings.
Helping Your Relationship
Even though your partner may deny that drinking or drug use is affecting your relationship, you can still get help for them so that you can restore your relationship with them. There are many support programs that help struggling family members deal with a loved one’s addiction. Treatment centers like The Ranch PA are here to help. We are equipped with the staff and resources that you or a loved one needs to overcome their addiction. In many cases, these problems help a fed-up partner get their loved one into treatment for chemical dependency. Although this may help your loved one quit using alcohol or drugs, it may not completely address the underlying issues in your relationship. With couples therapy, partners identify and begin to resolve the problems that often contribute to substance abuse. Through therapy, you can discuss all of the issues that arise with substance abuse problems and work through them with the ones you love most. Finally, people who struggle with addiction and who receive treatment are more likely to sustain sobriety if they have adequate support from caring family members. Support from a loving partner can make all the difference in the world when it comes to healing the damage caused by addiction. It is important to be communicative about the steps you are taking to overcome your addiction to repair any relationships that were broken or damaged by addiction. Contact The Ranch PA at 717.969.9126 for help today.
