From Rehab to ‘I Do’: The Truth About Marriages After Recovery

Be open to how this process might ultimately help you grow and bring benefit to you and your partner. This “abundant mindset” sets you up for the best possible drug addiction outcome. Here are the 4 C’s to surf the tides of change in your relationship, the big and small ones—starting with the power of your mind. For being open to enjoying life’s simple pleasures and looking inward to understand yourself, your neighbors, and your fellow humans!

Fulfilling Commitments

It’s difficult to understand something we’ve never been through, but do your best to empathize with your partner’s addiction. This doesn’t mean that you condone it or allow it to continue. It just means that you can understand that they wouldn’t choose this type of lifestyle for themselves. Being married to someone in recovery from addiction can in unpredictable ways alter the dynamics of your relationship. Go on dates, be completely honest with one another, and try to treat the marriage as a new relationship.

Setting Boundaries in Marriage After Rehab

This is the time to be in two places at once—venturing into your own discoveries and investing in making your partner a priority. Also known as differentiation, you can be autonomous while simultaneously maintaining intimacy. In my book, A Soulful Marriage, I offer the “Love Seat Listening Method” to help partners take turns sitting in the love seat. The idea is to make sure each partner feels fully heard and understood. Taking turns sitting in the love seat (metaphorically or literally) helps you slow down and allow each marriage changes after sobriety partner the time they need to open up without being interrupted. We can’t get anywhere in our relationship without creating an approachable environment to talk—about anything.

• I was attracted to his sensibilities and the ease with which he could be just as comfortable in his business suit as his biking gear.
• But sometimes, both partners struggle with substance use.
• Our dedicated professional staff is here to guide you or your loved one on the journey to lasting recovery, offering support every step of the way.
• Those questions haunted me for a long time as Bill struggled to reconnect with his emotions.
• Having a strong support system in place can make all the difference in maintaining a healthy marriage after rehab.

Every day was a big, stressful mess.

We learned so many unexpected lessons in sobriety, and our marriage is surviving. After years of going backwards once I stopped drinking, we are making progress and recovering our marriage. The lessons we learned are not gender specific, and the ebook is applicable for husbands of alcoholic wives in recovery, and same sex marriages as well. Alcoholism destroys trust, intimacy and our ability to forgive. It leaves the collateral damage of resentment and the spouse’s defence mechanisms in its wake, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-spiritual-malady-means/ and enough pain to last a lifetime.

Can you have a successful relationship with a recovering addict?

• This is the time to be in two places at once—venturing into your own discoveries and investing in making your partner a priority.
• I wanted to opt out of things I didn’t know how to opt out of.
• Having a conversation with a partner about complex subjects may feel daunting.
• Many patients don’t realize the toxicity of prolonged alcohol abuse and how it affects the body.
• Today, with 12 years of recovery, we have created a strong bond that respects our individuality, challenges us to grow, and supports our human fragility.
• If you and your loved one are experiencing the negative consequences of addiction and your marriage is suffering, it is important to get help.

With dedication, effective communication, and an unwavering commitment from both parties, it is possible to rebuild a marriage after one partner goes through rehab. Accordingly, with the proper support in place and a clear understanding of each other’s needs, couples can create an even stronger bond than before. It takes hard work and perseverance but is achievable with the right approach.

CREATE

It is important for partners to communicate openly and patiently work through any difficulties in this area. Marriage is supposed to be a lifelong commitment between two individuals who vow to love, support, and stand by each other through thick and thin. However, for couples who have gone through the turmoil of addiction, this sacred bond may become strained or even broken. As someone who has witnessed the struggles of addiction and its impact on marriage, you may be wondering – do marriages last after rehab? This question warrants a closer look as statistics show that substance abuse can put significant strain on marital relationships.