How to Recover When Your Partner Gets Sober

Design for Recovery provides structured sober living in Los Angeles, California. On the road to sobriety, it’s time to accept that there are friends who can be triggering and are not suitable for your partner’s recovery. Building healthy relationships with people who have https://accountingcoaching.online/three-inspirational-recovery-stories/ the same goal can be encouraging. The right community will support your journey and guide you toward the right path. Check for support groups around your area that share the same values and goals. For the recovering addict, this means absolute honesty is essential.

• If you’ve decided to get sober together, this is an incredible and powerful step to take as a couple.
• Here are a few strategies to consider as you set out to rebuild your marriage after the devastation of addiction.
• It was an emotional cat and mouse game more than a relationship.
• Substance abuse can create a rift between spouses, causing trust issues, communication breakdowns, and financial strain.
• Fortunately, a family friend found him a bed at a center for homeless men with addictions.

In addictions counseling I frequently hear outrage that, “My partner still doesn’t trust me! I raise an eyebrow at the contrast and they usually get it. I don’t think my husband and I ever really knew each other until I got sober. My pregnancy added an additional challenge to the recovery process. Here I was busting my ass every day working an impossible job while he stayed home, and he was out there living his best life, making friends while I got fat and miserable on the balcony. If addiction has impacted your marriage, you may be wondering if the only solution is to separate from your spouse.

Find Sober Fun

In addition, quitting drugs and alcohol also usually comes with mental health conditions, like anxiety or anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure). The partner in recovery may experience irritability and even have angry outbursts. Studies show that a healthy support system is a significant factor Alcoholism and nutrition: a review of vitamin supplementation and treatment in an individual’s success in recovery and lowers the risk of relapse. Even just one supportive person for a recovering alcoholic is enough to boost them towards living a sober life. Social media is full of what I refer to as rainbows and cotton candy posts about sobriety from addiction.

A wife previously addicted to painkillers to numb difficult emotions or situations will now have to deal with them head-on, without the aid of substances. Codependent behaviors that used to be the norm are disrupted as couples stop playing the roles of addict and enabler and have to find their way back to the roles of spouses. Finally, trust between couples may have been broken during addiction if a partner lied about substance abuse and the process to rebuild it may not always be smooth. With all the changes that come to relationships with sobriety, there can be feelings of guilt, anger, sadness, shame, and more. When asking whether marriage can survive sobriety, the answer can be yes—if a couple takes a healthy approach to managing their problems and discussing their feelings.

There’s not one definitive outcome to this process.

Trust is a fundamental part of every relationship, and it often takes a big hit during periods of substance use. Rebuilding lost trust can be a priority when repairing connections during recovery. To support recovery and build hope for the future, it‘s important for the person in recovery to try to repair the damage done to relationships.