Author: James Anderson

The dos and donts of dealing with an alcoholic partner

The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care. It might be hard to hear, but if your loved one isn’t getting better and has no interest in doing so, it might be time to leave.

Celebrate if a friend or loved one with an addiction takes a step toward rehabilitation … but don’t be surprised by a stumble. Relapse rates are common among those who seek treatment for an addiction. Having someone intoxicated on a consistent basis can be stressful and cause anxiety over what’s going to happen next. You might feel guilty about the situation, eventually leading to depression. Your loved one’s addiction might also start taking a financial toll. But, as with drug addiction, an addiction to alcohol is considered a chronic, or long-term, disease.

Adderall Addiction

You just happen to love someone who is probably going to need professional treatment to get healthy again. Keep in mind that someone with alcohol dependence usually goes through a few stages before they are ready to make a change. Until they begin to contemplate quitting, any actions you take to “help” them quit will often be met with resistance.

Having boundaries avoids co-dependency and sets limits for your loved one. It’s also important to ask your loved one directly what you can do to help, especially during special events where alcohol may be served. Don’t allow the disappointments and mistakes of the past affect your choices today—circumstances have probably changed. UKAT aspires to deliver the highest quality care across all our centres and clinics. Our commitment to quality includes the information we publish on our website.

Things You Should Know About Helping an Alcoholic

Typically, when a person comes to us with an alcohol addiction, they will go through an addiction treatment programme. This includes a free addiction assessment, medically-assisted alcohol detox and a residential treatment programme made up of intensive therapy and 12 months of free aftercare. Aftercare is provided for life for people who receive treatment at Priory Hospital Roehampton. Do your best to understand that they’re dealing with an illness. Alcoholism does not just affect children and spouses but siblings as well. Having a brother or sister with a drinking problem can also be very tough as you may be trying to support your sibling whilst also taking care of your own family.

Alcoholism is a potentially life-threatening condition and can lead to memory loss, liver fibrosis, fatty liver, cancers, high blood pressure, stroke and even death. The first step is to confirm that your partner is, in fact, an alcoholic. Simply confronting them likely won’t give you any answers, as they’re probably in denial about their condition. In addition to treatment programs for people with AUD, there are also support options available to those living with someone with alcoholism. BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor.

People who struggle to control their alcohol consumption have alcoholism, or alcohol use disorder (AUD). They’re often preoccupied with drinking and let alcohol take over their lives. Addiction is a brain disease and has negative consequences on how a person behaves and thinks. As addiction takes over, the individual can become very self-fulfilling and prioritize their needs above all else.

1. They might also be at risk for other forms of physical and emotional violence.
2. When determining if the person you live with has a drinking problem, consider the big picture.
3. You do not have to agree with their behavior or try to fix their problems.
4. Loving a partner who has an addiction can feel like a very isolating experience.
5. Most people end up avoiding regularly drinking themselves because they’ve seen the consequences of overdrinking.
6. Consider professional help or support for you and your family.

Learning how to deal with an alcoholic spouse as well as looking after yourself can be stressful and it’s likely you’ll need support to help you manage. We’ve put together some recommendations on how to look after yourself and the other people living in your household. If you’re living with an alcoholic partner, you’ve probably faced a lot of challenges and experienced many different emotions. Unfortunately, the act of enabling our loved ones in their alcohol addiction is an all-too-common response, with many of us not even realising that we are doing it.

More information about supporting your alcoholic loved one

More than likely, your loved one knows the dangers of AUD, but their addiction is so powerful that they have a hard time controlling it. It’s OK to make choices that are good for your own physical and mental health. If your loved one has become addicted to alcohol, however, their brain chemistry may have changed to the point that they are completely surprised by some of the choices they make.

She’s also currently working on her dissertation, which explores intersections of disability studies and literacy studies. When she’s not researching or writing, Cherney enjoys getting outdoors as much as possible. When living with someone who has AUD, it’s important to understand that you didn’t cause the addiction. Understand that recovery is a journey and not necessarily a one-time goal. Enabling occurs when someone else covers up or makes excuses for the person who has a SUD. As a result, the person with a SUD doesn’t deal with the consequences of their actions.