When your spouse is struggling with alcohol addiction, it can be extremely difficult to find the way out and protect your marriage. You have to consider your own feelings and also seek professional help for your spouse in order to make the best decisions for both of you.
Protecting Your Marriage Against Alcohol Addiction
When you are married to someone who is addicted to alcohol, the possibility of you facing several complicated and painful situations increases. What’s worse, things often boil down to deciding whether you should continue that relationship or simply pack up and leave.
Unfortunately, almost half of such cases (around 48%) end up in divorce. This stat seems more obvious as the spouses of addicted individuals are more likely to personally experience the direct impact of their partner’s alcoholism.
Being a spouse of an alcohol addict, from their frequent lies to emotional distancing, and from professional implications to financial problems, you have seen it all. We are sure, by now, you have realized that alcohol addiction is a serious medical condition and it has the power to alter the brain of the sufferers. And just the willpower is not enough to defeat it.
However, what is your responsibility when your spouse is not seeking any kind of professional help or failing to beat his or her alcohol addiction at every step? And here is one straightforward question — how far should you go tolerating this?
To be honest, there are no simple answers to these questions. But, thankfully, there are certain things you can consider to understand how to deal with this complex situation and how to work on saving your marriage.
Do Your Homework On Alcohol Addiction And How It Works
Even though the public awareness about alcohol addiction is increasing day by day, very few people understand that alcoholism is a serious health condition. You first need to realize that it may need lifelong medical care, management, and some healthy lifestyle changes.
You can consider alcohol addiction is the same as other severe health problems such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease. Keep in mind that there is no fixed cure for addiction; however, it can be effectively treated and managed so that the patients can live substance-free, healthy and happy lives.
As mentioned earlier, alcohol addiction can alter the brain and affect the decision-making capabilities of the patients. It needs professional medical care and proper medications to overcome it. You can count on a reputable alcohol treatment center for this requirement. As you can’t just tell asthma patients to breathe hard to beat that disease, telling an alcohol addict to stop drinking does not make any sense. In order to overcome alcohol addiction successfully, you need the right combination of medications, therapies, lifestyle changes, and some great coping mechanisms.
Note that relapses are pretty common with patients that are trying to recover from alcohol addiction. And stability takes time!
Realize Your Role
Think about why you are still married to him, despite the addiction. What’s that thing that’s driving you to be in that relationship? It can be love, societal pressure, children, financial stability, or anything else.
Sorting out such factors can be of great help. It will clarify certain things like if you are ready to get separated or not and if you are financially & mentally stable to make it on your own. Being clear about these things can encourage you to make the right decisions.
Also, if your spouse’s addiction is making him or her abusive, prioritize the safety of yourself and your children, no matter if you want to be in that relationship or not.
Final Words
Alcohol addiction is very complicated. Talking to professionals who have proper knowledge about addiction and its effects on marriage can take you a long way. You can also consider joining a support group, involving friends and family to feel supported, or inpatient rehab.
Remember to take good care of yourself throughout this process. If you really want to make your marriage work, you have to be strong both mentally and physically.
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