Is Your Partner Addicted?

Is your partner a addicted to drugs or alcohol? Maybe you’ve been trying to find a way to help your partner to quit. You have likely been through tears, fights, heart-to-heart talks, promises made, and may have even resulted to threats to get your partner to reach for help and get their life sorted. You will know only too well how this has a suppressing effect on you, your relationship and your family.

Step back and formulate a plan.

Here are some ideas to help:

1. You Should Acknowledge What’s Really Happening

You will generally hope that the next promise will be kept. Its human nature to wish that things would get better and that one day things can return to the way they were.

The reality is that this problem has changed your lives permanently.

Accept that there is actually a problem. Acceptance is not approval, yet it is one of the best tools at your disposal for still loving your drug addict partner. An addict also needs love, rather than denial, guilt, shame or judgment.

Writing down everything about this situation that is affecting you both helps give a clearer picture of what you’re faced with. Then you can start planning how to deal with it.

You need to realise that things must be done differently from now on. Repeating the same things again and again will not produce a different ending.

2. Reach Out for Help

There is no weakness or shame in asking for help for yourself and your addict partner. It is a positive move.

You are not alone in this struggle; many people have been in your shoes before, and they are often ready and willing to provide support however they can.

Contact a reputable drug rehabilitation facility for professional advice on various types of rehab programs; one size does not fit all when it comes to rehab. Finding the right one for your partner is essential. Speaking with people who have been through drug rehab can reinforce your hope for successful recovery.

It is common that the addict may not be willing to enter drug rehab. Most rehab centres can provide advice about how to talk to him/her about it. Many have Interventionist Counsellors who will come out to you for a meeting with you and your partner to discuss the situation and help them realise that help is available and that their life are not going too well. The purpose of Intervention is to help families talk to the addict with a view to bringing him or her around to the realisation that they need help.

3. Get Knowledgeable

You should be involved in your partner’s rehabilitation, in whatever form that takes. Learn about the particular drug/s your partner is addicted to. Understand the effects on your partner’s body, mood, mental health and recovery. Know exactly what you’re up against.

The better you understand the addiction, the easier it will be to give your partner positive reinforcement throughout the rehabilitation process. It is so important for a recovering addict to know that he/she is still loved and, with support, can break free of addiction and make a meaningful contribution to the family and indeed the wider society again.

4. Tend to Your Own Needs

Don’t forget about yourself. Living with an addicted partner is stressful for you Foster good lifestyle practices by eating healthily, getting sufficient sleep and staying in touch with the interests and activities that are important to you. Living with an addict is often very stressful and demanding. Make time to put positive things in your life. During drug rehab, and beyond, when your partner completes their programme, is the chance to rebuild your relationship stronger than ever, and that requires you to be in as good a place as possible yourself. Even if your drug addicted partner does not admit it, he/she is dependent on you. Aim to be strong, positive and able to provide a solid and loving foundation to your relationship when his/her new life without drugs begins.

If your partner is a drug addict, make that call right now. Contact a rehabilitation centre to start your journey to a better life together.