No one chooses to develop an addiction to drugs and alcohol. But once someone is living with this life-altering condition, its impacts are felt by everyone in their life. This is especially true for people with an addicted spouse.
When your spouse lives with substance abuse and addiction, you live with it too. Addiction’s financial, legal, social, and physical aspects can wreak havoc on your relationship and personal well-being.
But how can you convince your addicted spouse to go to rehab without pushing them away? The balance is tricky. We’ve put together a guide to help you navigate this topic and get your addicted spouse the help they need to recover from addiction.
Recognizing the Signs of Addiction
Recognizing the symptoms of addiction is key to convincing an addicted spouse to go to rehab. In some cases, their substance abuse may be clear. However, substance abuse can fly under the radar for a very long time.
It’s important to recognize the physical, emotional, and behavioral signs of addiction so that you can get your addicted spouse the help they need quickly.
Some of the signs of addiction include:
- Being dishonest or secretive about their substance abuse
- Neglecting work or responsibilities at home
- Changes in their appetite, mood, sleep, or appearance
- Preoccupation with drinking or using drugs
- Isolating from loved ones or hobbies
- Financial or legal difficulties related to substance use
- Injuries associated with drinking or using drugs
- Developing tolerance–needing more of the substance to get the same effects
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms if they cut back or stop using substances
These signs could indicate that your spouse needs the support of a drug rehab program to overcome substance abuse or addiction.
Get The Care You Need and Deserve
Woburn Addiction Treatment is a leader in the addiction treatment field, with proven success in facilitating long-term recovery. Our team of top clinical & medical experts specializes in treating addiction coupled with mental illness, ensuring that each person receives individualized care. Call us – we’re available 24/day, 7 days/week.
How Do I Convince an Addicted Spouse to Go to Rehab?
It can be challenging to convince an addicted spouse to go to rehab. Taking these steps can make the process easier.
1. Learn about addiction
The better you understand addiction as a disease, the better you can help an addicted spouse. Find accurate information about addiction and recovery by reading books, joining a support group, or attending Al-Anon meetings.
2. Stage an intervention
An intervention is a carefully planned event where family members and other loved ones gather to convince their addicted loved one to go to rehab. It is essential to carefully choose who will be there, when you will hold it, and what treatment you can offer.
Hiring a professional interventionist increases your chances of having an effective intervention.
3. Act quickly
Without treatment, addiction can turn deadly. It’s important to act quickly. However, you must be able to help your addicted spouse by finding a high-quality treatment center that can meet their needs.
4. Practice self-care
Living with and supporting someone with an addiction can be physically and emotionally draining. Finding the support you need to help an addicted spouse is essential. Engage in individual therapy, stay active with hobbies you enjoy, eat healthily, and make time for rest as much as you can.
The more information and resources you have available for you and your spouse, the more likely you will convince your loved one to go to rehab.
How to Help an Addicted Spouse Break Through Denial
Addiction can cause so much harm to a person’s physical, emotional, and social health that it’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t recognize that they need help. But many people living with substance abuse and addiction are in denial of how serious the condition has become–and just how close they are to losing everything. But what is denial? Denial is a coping mechanism that shields people from the severity of their current situation. In some cases, denial can help people function in overwhelming circumstances. But when someone lives with addiction, denial can prevent them from recognizing that they need treatment. Some common signs of denial include:
- Becoming irritated when others express concern about their substance use
- Secretive behavior
- Shifting blame to others or their circumstances
- Believing their substance use doesn’t affect anyone else
- Downplaying the severity of their substance use
- Thinking binges aren’t as bad as everyday use
- Failing to keep promises
- Rationalizing their substance abuse–saying, “I need it to sleep/perform/get through a stressful time”
It’s crucial to help an addicted spouse get treatment as soon as you realize they are living with substance abuse or addiction. If you are able to convince an addicted spouse to go to rehab, they will undergo therapy and treatments that help them break through their denial and learn skills to prevent relapse in the future. Sometimes, it takes a serious event–a medical condition, accident, injury, or loss of a relationship–to help people escape denial. But there are also steps you can take to convince an addicted spouse to go to rehab that may be helpful.
Get Help Now
You do not have to live under the weight of your spouse’s addiction alone. Addiction affects you and your spouse alike, but a drug rehab center can help heal your marriage and get both of your lives back on track. Reach out to the Woburn Addiction Treatment specialists today to learn about finding the treatment and support your spouse needs to overcome addiction.
