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Those who have experienced a challenging relationship with their partner due to addiction may ask themselves this question. Developing or sustaining a relationship with someone experiencing an alcohol use disorder may not always be easy. However, support options are available for both you and the individual. Living with an alcoholic boyfriend or girlfriend can take a heavy emotional toll. At some point, you may find yourself wondering if staying in the relationship is the right choice. To make an informed decision, evaluate the impact of your partner’s alcoholism on your mental and physical health, your personal goals, and your overall happiness.
Should I Leave My Alcoholic Spouse?
That stress inevitably bleeds into relationships, which can cause cracks and fissures that will rupture if not addressed in a healthy way. Fights over the alcohol abuse may ensue; if the alcoholic loses control when they are drunk, there is an increased risk of domestic violence. Active alcoholism can lead to behaviors that damage the ability to maintain healthy relationships. Excessive alcohol consumption often negatively impacts intimacy, as the individual pulls away to drink at bars or with others. Active addiction can also lead to a decreased sense of honesty and reliability, as the individual lies about their behavior and whereabouts, and breaks promises.
Seek and Accept Support:
- When your spouse is a functioning alcoholic, it might not be so easy even to notice the signs of an issue.
- While it can be a difficult decision, this guide will explore the challenging journey of dating and possibly leaving an alcoholic and the signs that it’s time to walk away.
- Some individuals experience substance codependency, which means they may have an unhealthy relationship with drinking but depend on alcohol to help them cope with their problems.
- Problematic drinking can have a significant financial impact on the household.
- People with addictions often get into legal, financial and personal trouble.
You’ll also need to make sure that you and your children have adequate health insurance. If your spouse was the primary breadwinner and carried the insurance, ensure they don’t drop you during the separation phase. This is a federal law that requires employers to let employees’ families continue their health insurance after a qualifying event, such as divorce or leaving the company. You may also be able to get health insurance through your state’s marketplace or Medicaid.
Understanding Alcoholism and Its Impact
It is extremely important to us that you receive the highest quality medical care from our qualified staff during your stay. If you are wondering if your husband is a high-functioning alcoholic, there are certain warning signs to look for. There are different types of alcohol addiction, and some may lead to individuals feeling unable to do daily tasks without having a drink first. Others may rely on alcohol when experiencing emotional stress or turn to it to help them manage difficult situations. Such codependency may become an overpowering force in a relationship. Prepare yourself by seeking support from friends, family, or a therapist, and remind yourself that prioritizing your health is not selfish—it’s necessary.
- Part of living with an alcoholic spouse is accepting that alcoholism is a lifelong disease, which will require ongoing support.
- Seeing you drinking can also make it difficult for your partner to give up alcohol.
- Alcohol detox is the first and most important step of someone’s addiction recovery journey.
- When you live with a spouse who has an alcohol use disorder, taking care of yourself is important.
How Can I Encourage an Alcoholic Partner To Get Help?
While every relationship has ups and downs, constant instability and emotional pain are indicators that leaving may be the healthiest choice for you. An alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic medical condition characterized by an inability to stop or control drinking despite health, social, or professional consequences. The impact of an AUD isn’t always limited to the one suffering from this chronic medical condition. AUDs may affect not only the person with the drinking problem themselves, but also their family, their loved ones, and others around them. Being in a relationship with a spouse or significant other who has an alcohol addiction can be complicated. It can be emotionally painful to watch someone you love fall victim to alcohol abuse, and you may live with constant stress and worry about their health and well-being.
While these communities do not replace professional help, they can provide immediate emotional support and valuable insights into coping strategies. What the statistics don’t reveal is how many spouses, partners, boyfriends and girlfriends are impacted when the person they are in an intimate relationship with is an alcoholic. Like all types of addiction, struggles with AUD affect not just the alcoholics themselves, but those who are closest to them, like family and those dating an alcoholic. Deciding to leave an alcoholic partner is an emotionally complex and daunting task. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to begin, these guidelines are meant to offer a more nuanced approach, considering both the immediate and long-term challenges you may face.
In order to do you, you might push your husband to loneliness, which eventually will lead to far more serious issues than now. So, instead of trying to take control of everything, just wait for them to accept that they have a problem and need help. You don’t need to tell the whole story of your divorce to everyone but you do need to tell it to your divorce lawyer. Not only are you protected by attorney-client privilege, the more information they have about your situation and the challenges you face the better they will be able to advise and protect you.
If you are taking on the brunt of the drug addiction household duties because of your partner’s alcohol abuse, you are probably also exhausted and overwhelmed. Just because your alcoholic partner won’t get help now, doesn’t mean they won’t ever enter rehab. Alcohol addiction treatment can be effective at any stage of readiness.
Deciding whether to leave a partner struggling with alcoholism is one of the most heart-wrenching decisions you may ever face. The emotional toll of loving someone who is battling addiction can leave you feeling torn between hope and despair. Whether you’re asking yourself, “Should I leave my alcoholic spouse?
You may find that you’re spending all your time doing damage control at your job, with friends and family, or dealing with the fallout from the drinking. Sometimes when we try to rescue or fix those we see struggling, they cannot take responsibility for themselves. This frequently happens in codependent relationships with alcoholics. Most alcoholics want to get better and can see the negative impact their drinking has on those around them, and many will try to improve.