Loving an Addict or Alcoholic: How to Help Them and Yourself

We have our ups and downs, but we get through it and talk through it. In 2021 he went down a bad path and got addicted to meth. He went to rehab last summer and hasn’t done it since, thank god. But, he has a constant thought of wanting to do drugs, to not think, to forget, to get lost in that high.

I’m dealing with a different kind of addiction with my husband and father of our children. You sound smart, remember that sex is also a drug in your brain. If you’re under him you’re loving an addict not getting over him…… and he’s barely showing up. A real question for folks – what do people think about setting a boundary to ask my partner not to smoke fentanyl in my apartment?

When to Leave Someone Because of Addiction

Being in a relationship with someone that has an addiction comes with a lot of pros and cons which could be managed if discovered on time. It may not be easy to love an addict, especially when they’re involved in drugs or alcohol. Drug addiction is one of those things that cause serious relationship problems and health issues whether it’s in the long or short run. You might need to consider individual counseling so you can discuss your feelings in a safe space. A counselor might give you healthy coping mechanisms and reassure you that taking care of yourself and setting firm boundaries isn’t cruelty toward your addicted spouse.

• I’m on the verge of asking him to stop smoking inside again because I feel like he’s getting reckless about it and it’s just become something we fight about.
• It’s an awareness that you cannot control someone else’s actions — you can only control how you react to them.
• A counselor might give you healthy coping mechanisms and reassure you that taking care of yourself and setting firm boundaries isn’t cruelty toward your addicted spouse.
• If you both are in a relationship and you would like to continue, get advice on different addiction treatment options for your loved one as early as you can to be safe.
• Caring for yourself and your needs has been on the back burner for years, and this needs to change.
• Completely toxic and then the addict becomes YOUR DRUG!

One of the ways people may try to cope with that pain is by numbing themselves through the use of substances. Doing this, however, can only extend the feelings we are trying to suppress and make things worse. Research and experience have shown that there is a strong connection between substance abuse and complicated https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/why-cant-i-cut-down-or-control-my-drinking/ grief or persistent complex grief disorder1 which are disabling and debilitating responses to grief. If your loved one’s drug addiction is causing troubles daily and negatively impacting your own well-being, it might be time to reassess whether the relationship is sustainable in the long run or not.

Drug Addiction: Know the Symptoms of Different Drugs Part II

As painful as it sounds, leaving an addict you love may be the necessary boundary you need to set in place for your safety. It has taken certain distressing situations and my asserting boundaries which I have found really difficult in part as my history with relationships has been extremely one-sided towards the man. A blurring of boundaries or even none at all has meant my learnt behaviour has caused me to have a lot of bad situations repetitively occur. I am in my late forties now and seen a lot of people around me take hard drugs all whilst I have been working hard to become and remain abstinent from alcohol. So this week I’ve been expecting him to disappear again. I told him that this time I will not be coming to his unless he texts me or phones first.