It can be devastating when your spouse is addicted to alcohol or drugs. You might feel like your spouse is a stranger, although once your partner was the closest. Addiction gravely threatens the trust and damages the love you once had for your spouse.
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If your spouse is fighting to stop the addiction is good if you give your partner a helping hand. You might have managed to love your spouse through addiction, but still, there are things to avoid when your spouse is recovering from addiction. Read below.
Avoid Enabling Your Spouse
One thing to avoid is enabling your partner. Enabling here means making it available for your spouse to continue using drugs and alcohol. You can do this by perhaps lending your partner money without acknowledging what they will spend it on and not repaying it back.
You can also enable your spouse when you make up excuses for them in case they miss attending their therapy sessions or other essential activities. In most cases, these situations occur when you are in a codependent relationship with no boundaries.
Avoid Giving Up on Your Spouse
Supporting your spouse recovering from addiction can be exhausting as you have to offer support emotionally, physically, and financially. It can even be draining when your spouse experiences a relapse, leading to frustration. When all these happen, do not give up but gather courage and hope to continue loving and supporting your spouse.
Honestly, you fell in love with your spouse for who they are, and when addiction comes in, they might show some traits that define them. Addiction is treatable, and you feel like it’s taking too long for them to recover fully.\
Avoid Exposing Your Spouse to Drugs or Alcohol
Always remember that your spouse is recovering from addiction, and they will experience a relapse when you still expose them to the substances. Make sure you get rid of any drugs or alcohol in your home. If you were the type who buys and keeps alcoholic beverages for a specific function for family and friends, it would be better to avoid buying them altogether.
For instance, if your wife is trying to recover from alcohol addiction, you should ensure there is no alcohol in your home. You should also not accompany your spouse to bars or events where they will serve alcohol.
It is difficult to break free from alcoholism and drug addiction, and working with experts like a women’s treatment center can help by understanding the same viewpoint. They can help your wife overcome any addiction as they offer different types of treatment to women of various ages.
Avoid Isolating and Looking Down on Your Spouse
Isolation and looking down on your spouse will only happen when you have feelings of resentment toward your spouse. This type of feeling comes when you start blaming your partner for their situation and not doing much to recover. Some opt to stay away from their spouse as they feel like they are a burden. Avoid locking yourself in a room or choosing to watch the TV by yourself as a way of not spending time with your better half.
You should also avoid being condescending to your spouse, and this is by you not showing respect to them when they voice their opinions or don’t allow them to express themselves. You should also avoid being on your phone when you two are having a conversation, as it will portray a feeling of unworthiness and that what they say is beneath you. Instead giving your spouse a listening ear and showing their presence and views are important will encourage them.
Conclusion
If your spouse is recovering from addiction, ensure you support them but do not enable them. You need to ensure you have set healthy boundaries, itemize your own needs, and clearly explain what you will and won’t support. Do not give up or isolate your partner to focus on other things. Stock your home with non-alcoholic beverages and ensure all narcotic medications are out of reach to your spouse. Remember, you love your spouse and are also a source of motivation to help them recover from their addiction.
