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

Being patient will be key in getting your marriage back on track, whether you’re living with an alcoholic/drug addict in recovery or you are an alcoholic/drug addict in recovery. Instead, it’s best to treat the marriage as a new relationship. Get to know the “new” version of your spouse (or help your spouse become acquainted with the “new” you). Patiently work on rebuilding communication, trust, support, respect, and intimacy. After the addict has recovered, however, repairing the relationship is possible. Although rebuilding trust and intimacy will be difficult, you can put your marriage back together using the tips below.

Try to stop enabling behaviors

When long-awaited sobriety finally arrives, partners expect their past relationship problems will disappear. Often, there is a “honeymoon” period when they’re on their best behavior and reaffirm their love and commitment. After all that they’ve been through together, they have high hopes for a rosy future and easier times ahead. Yet, sobriety destabilizes the status quo, and the longer partners are together, the more their patterns become entrenched. A relationship with a recovering alcoholic does not necessarily need to change in a major way – remember that your partner is the same person they have always been. That said, there are some simple things you can do to support your partner, streamline their recovery, and strengthen your relationship.

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The culture shock, strains of a new marriage, being so far removed from family and familiarity, and the job… oh my God, the job. Sure, the hangovers sucked and made working life increasingly difficult, but it seemed like a small price to pay for grabbing life by the horns. New country (for both of us), new people new adventures.

The easiest path may be to sink back into the same hobbies and habits you and your spouse enjoyed before, but it’s important to realize that those might be different now. For example, if you both used to spend every weekend drinking and watching football, the sober version of you https://thecinnamonhollow.com/a-guide-to-sober-house-rules-what-you-need-to-know/ may prefer a hiking trip with your partner. Don’t be surprised if many of the activities you enjoyed before were simply placeholders enabling you to drink or use drugs. If you have a spouse who sticks with you and supports you throughout your sobriety, it can be a major source of support.

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This could include regular therapy sessions or participating in workshops or retreats designed specifically for couples in recovery. After completing rehabilitation, it’s important for individuals in recovery to maintain ongoing support to prevent relapse. This is crucial not only for their own well-being but also for the health of their marriage. Deciding to get married is a big decision for anyone, but for those who have recently completed rehab, the decision can be even more daunting. After going through the journey of recovery and making major life changes, the thought of adding marriage into the mix can feel overwhelming.

Another big challenge of being married to someone who is not sober is avoiding codependency. When one spouse is struggling with addiction, it’s easy for the other spouse to become overly involved in their recovery. This can lead to codependency, which is when one person becomes too reliant on another for their emotional needs.

A crucial aspect of recovery lies in rebuilding the trust corroded by alcohol addiction. Soberlink is a remote alcohol monitoring system that provides documented proof of sobriety, fostering trust and accountability in relationships marred by alcohol misuse. This consistent pattern of deceit and irresponsibility can cause the trust once nurtured to crumble.

After graduating a year-long program, Lyle felt compelled to give back and began doing service work. Quickly this turned into a passion to help others that led to study the treatment industry top to bottom. He learned state statutes and regulations, and studied counseling practices from several angles.

Introduction: The Challenge of Alcoholism in Marriage

marriage changes after sobriety

Through our discussion, we have explored various factors that can contribute to the success or failure of marriages after rehab. The first step in making the decision to get married after rehab is evaluating your readiness. It is important to be honest with yourself about whether you are truly ready for such a commitment. Are you able to handle the stress that comes with marriage? These are all important questions to consider before deciding to get married. A therapist can help you learn more about the role you may have played in a codependent relationship and learn healthier patterns.

marriage changes after sobriety

  • Tulip Hill Recovery offers unique treatment solutions for addiction and mental health disorders in an intimate, family-run facility.
  • Finding new activities and habits to enjoy is essential for addicts to have a healthy and lasting recovery.
  • Generally speaking, PTSD is a more severe and long-lasting mental health issue than adjustment disorder.
  • We also explored how rehab can be a turning point for couples as they embark on individual and joint journeys towards recovery.
  • Sharing the times when you’re going to an AA meeting or making progress in your 12 Step Program can renew your partner’s faith that you’re truly going to get and stay sober.

While you can get help at the same time, recovery is an individual journey. The underlying cause of addiction is as unique as you are. During your treatment, trained rehabilitation professionals can address your individual detox and healing needs. Addiction to drugs or alcohol is often experienced by one partner in a marriage.

Individualized, evidence based treatment, to fit your needs.

  • My husband and I had to get to know each other all over again.
  • Recovery can also sometimes uncover underlying mental health conditions that have contributed to substance use disorder.
  • (To understand the impact of shame on relationships and codependent symptoms, see Conquering Shame and Codependency).
  • Being a codependent caretaker hid their inner emptiness.
  • There’s a saying in Alcoholics Anonymous that not only do alcoholics have a drinking problem, but also a thinking problem.

However, it is rare to read a book that integrates the parallel recovery process that is necessary for couples in which one individual is in sobriety and the other is not. In any relationship, setting boundaries is essential for maintaining a healthy dynamic. This becomes even more A Guide To Sober House Rules: What You Need To Know important after rehab when individuals are still navigating their recovery journey. Both partners must understand and respect each other’s boundaries in order for the marriage to thrive.

marriage changes after sobriety

How Long Does It Take to Get Addicted to Alcohol?

Check out our list of affordable programs that can help your loved one to get sober and help your family to heal from addiction. When your loved one was in active addiction, it’s likely that part of your identity was based on their addiction. A lot of your life revolved around worrying about them, trying to get them to change, and taking on their responsibilities around the home. Finding support is especially important if you felt isolated while your spouse was in active addiction.

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