When a marriage or relationship has a partner who struggles with alcohol addiction, the other partner is usually very unhappy in the relationship. When a drinking problem exists, it often creates a huge emotional gap between the couple that keeps building the more the drinking continues. Trust falters, blame rises, and anger may become far too prevalent. This gap can be a huge challenge to work through in any relationship. Fighting, arguing, or even violence may start to happen between the two parties.
If you or a loved one is struggling with alcoholism and relationships, Vertava Health’s alcohol rehab center can help. Call us today at 844.470.0410 to learn how alcoholism affects relationships.
Alcoholism and Relationships
Alcoholism and relationships are a volatile mix. When a relationship is greatly impacted by alcohol addiction, there are common warning signs that may signal a problem:
- In nearly every single argument, drinking or behaviors related to it come up, such as staying out far too late or sleeping in too late, ignoring important tasks or duties at home, money issues, and many more.
- Creating, on more than one occasion, an excuse for a partner who is sick due to their alcohol consumption to explain their behavior; examples include calling in sick for them at their job.
- One of the partners confesses that they drink to help tone down stress or tension associated with fighting or other situations within the home, including arguments that revolve around alcohol consumption.
- When one of the primary activities the two partners enjoy doing together involves drinking.
- Spouts of violence, aggression, “angry touching,” or disrespect between partners when one or both parties have been drinking.
- If one or both partners need to drink to be able to openly communicate or talk about the issues in the relationship or to show signs of love or fondness toward the other.
- The family grows embarrassed or feels a need to hide from others, including other family members, because of someone having an alcohol addiction.
Not all relationships will exhibit these same behaviors. If you’re concerned that your relationship exhibits patterns like these, it may be time to look at the relationship honestly, considering the way alcohol is impacting it while finding ways to improve it. This may be a harsh and difficult reality to consider, and in the case of addiction, it will probably mean the drinking needs to cease.
The problems between the couple need to be looked at closely, even the ones that don’t result
from the drinking itself, because some problems may actually trigger or push a person towards drinking. In some cases, it may seem easier to just hope these problems will fade away, but unfortunately, ignoring this genuine and potentially dangerous problem will only continue to harm both the individuals and the relationship. The best possible solution is to get help as soon as possible, or like an infection, it may spread and get far more toxic.
The Effect On Children
When a child has a parent with alcohol addiction, they will likely encounter negative experiences and even traumatic ones. This is especially true if they witness certain issues within their parent’s relationship. A child will experience a far worse experience when both parents are heavily involved with alcohol than when only one is. Heightened levels of physical violence, with not just one parent but two, can create a very unsafe, unstable home for a child and have lasting negative impacts. Witnessing this use between parents is very detrimental; in some cases, the child may also experience certain forms of use.
What To Do Next?
When choosing to get help, you are improving your life and those around you, such as your friends, children, or partner. As the partner of a person with addiction, offering your support at this time is crucial. Research has shown that receiving the aid of a partner while seeking alcohol rehab treatment can significantly help the one in need of therapy overcome these problems. Getting your partner into treatment may change both of your lives forever.
It is a prevalent issue that the partner displaying these problems doesn’t want to seek treatment or counseling or is in denial, believing that they do not need help. Suppose you seek out help, either for yourself or a loved one. In that case, there is information, compassionate support, and a means of motivation that can aid you in overcoming this indifference so that you begin to believe in your recovery.
It is crucial to look at the emotional issues within the relationship that still need to be addressed because often, couples still help even after the addiction is looked at and treated. Even after this main threat to the relationship is addressed, a ripple effect from before can still have lasting effects on both partners if left unchecked. Otherwise, continuous fighting can lead to relapse and more substance use, starting the cycle again. A long-lasting impact will include dealing with every side of the relationship—not just the addiction. Removing drinking from the equation is the first step, but creating a loving, supportive, and communicative relationship will keep it solid in the future.
Find Treatment at Vertava Health Today
Regarding alcoholism and relationships, there are various ways to address the issues. Individual or group counseling may help to bring about the changes needed within your relationship. However, a greater measure of help may be needed for the individual suffering from the addiction. A medically-assisted detox, followed by either outpatient or residential treatment, maybe the best option for a person with alcohol addiction. Contact Vertava Health today by calling us at 844.470.0410 to learn about our treatment options.
