Legacy Healing Center Blog

In Sickness and In Health – The Impact of Addiction on a Marriage

When you stood at the altar on your wedding day and took your marriage vows, you made a lot of promises. And while you no doubt remember the part about in sickness and in health, at the time, you were probably picturing challenges like cancer or heart disease, not the disease of addiction.

It has often been said that addiction is a family illness, which is undoubtedly true for marriage and other intimate relationships. Whether the substance in question is illegal, like heroin and cocaine, or legal, like prescription medications and alcohol, the potential devastation is much the same. However, through family therapy and professional counseling, a relationship broken by addiction can be repaired.

Click here to speak with a treatment specialist today or call us anytime 24/7 at (888) 534-2295

Steps to Healing a Marriage That’s Been Hurt By Addiction

Even the strongest marriages will struggle when substance abuse is added to the picture. Even if the relationship survives, the damage can be long lasting and difficult to overcome. If you are in such a relationship, you know just how hard it can be to recover. The shattering of trust, the loss of intimacy, the financial troubles, and the lack of faith in the relationship can combine to form a toxic mix, which may require dedication from both spouses to overcome.

When a marriage is on the rocks in the wake of alcohol or drug addiction, following the proper steps to healing is absolutely essential. Whether or not the relationship was strong before the habit, what happens after detox and behavioral health treatment will be critical to what happens next in the marriage.

The steps to healing will be highly personal, depending on the nature of the relationship and the two people’s personalities. Still, couples can follow some basic guidelines as they begin the process of reconciliation and rebuilding trust. Some of those essential healing steps include:

1. Validating feelings

When one spouse struggles under the weight of alcohol or drug addiction, they may not see the impact their problems are having on their spouse. The addicted spouse needs to understand and validate their partner’s feelings.

2. Assessing the damage

When one spouse is addicted to drugs or suffering from alcoholism, the damage can be enormous, and quantifying that damage is a vital part of the healing process. This assessment is a critical part of the marriage healing process, from adding up the financial devastation to talking about the shattered trust.

3. Talking it over with a qualified counselor

Getting clean and sober amid a drug or alcohol addiction takes time, dedication, and professional help, and so does healing a marriage once the addiction has been overcome. As you begin to rebuild and heal your marriage, it’s imperative to work with a qualified professional. Having an unrelated third party can put issues in perspective, giving the two spouses the time and distance they need to talk through their problems and come out stronger on the other side.

4. Identifying the root causes of the addiction

Drug addiction and alcoholism do not typically emerge out of the blue; they develop slowly over time. Recognizing the root causes that fueled those dependencies is a crucial component of rehab and a vital part of marital healing as well.

Family Therapy at Legacy Healing Center

It’s easy to lose trust in a relationship, and building back that shattered trust is challenging. No one can heal entirely on their own, and healing your relationship after a bout with drug or alcohol addiction will require the dedication of both partners and an enormous amount of strength and dedication.

The good news is you don’t have to go through this journey alone. There is quality counseling available, all aimed at helping you heal your relationship from the difficulties that substance use has left in its wake.

Whether you were the one with the drug or alcohol dependency or your spouse struggled with addiction, Legacy Healing Center can give you the strength, guidance, and help you need to build your relationship back stronger than ever.

We encourage you to reach out for the help you need to heal your marriage and begin rebuilding your relationship. Addiction is indeed a family illness, and it will take the dedication of all the family members to repair the damage, learn from it, and come out stronger on the other side. As you work to create a new connection with your partner, we can give you the insight you need to understand what has happened, how far you and your spouse have come, and what comes next in your relationship.

Contact Legacy Healing Center today to learn how our family therapy program can help couples heal from the impact of addiction.

Click here to speak with a treatment specialist today or call us anytime 24/7 at (888) 534-2295