Dealing With Drug Abuse and Addiction in a Spouse

Drug abuse and addiction are difficult for anyone to deal with, but can be especially difficult if you are on the outside, watching a spouse go through a troubling situation. Not only are you feeling the effects of the addiction, you also have to watch someone who you love so much suffer. When it comes to drug abuse and addiction in your spouse, what can you do?

Helping A Spouse With Drug Abuse and Addiction

Recognizing the Problem

Dealing with drug abuse and addiction means that someone needs to recognize that a problem exists. You might be tempted to pretend like the issue is not there because you do not want to cause problems in your marriage. However, be honest with yourself and your spouse. Hiding the problem will not make it go away and certainly cannot make it better.

Talking About the Issue

You are likely the closest person in the world to your spouse, so you may need to have to start a conversation about it. Of course, you could ask your spouse's best friend or sibling to help, but do not get too many people involved. Feeling "ganged up on" is not going to help the situation at all. Make sure your spouse knows you are concerned and that you are there to offer support. If you decide to have an intervention to handle the drug abuse and addiction, ask for professional help.

Drug Abuse and Addiction: Finding a Facility

Once you have dealt with the initial conversation, it's time to find a drug abuse and addiction program that is right for your spouse. You should make this effort as a team. You should go with your spouse to visit and ask questions. In fact, you can even ask if you can join your spouse in some of the counseling sessions. Some facilities offer family therapy.

Constant Support

Do not just check your spouse into the facility and then assume you have no more responsibilities. You need to act as the support system. This entails taking care of more responsibilities at home while your spouse is away, checking in on a regular basis to see how your loved one is doing and explaining the situation to your children. The road to long term recovery could be a long one, and you want to make sure your spouse knows that you will always be there no matter what happens with the drug abuse and addiction.

Yes, you may certainly face some challenges along the way when you are trying to get help for your spouse. Still though, when you can see your spouse smile again, you will know that every little step that you took was worth it.

Ben Brafman, LMHC, CAP is the President and CEO of Destination Hope, a licensed dual diagnosis substance abuse treatment center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ben has more than 20 years of experience in the addiction and mental health fields, which led him to develop a combination of innovative treatment protocols at Destination Hope.

He has been published on various topics including dual diagnosis and chemical dependency, and gives back to the community by educating other addiction counselors at his Academy for Addiction Professionals.

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