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Alcohol can have a huge impact on the way you interact with others and the quality of your closest relationships. Taking an honest look at your relationship with alcohol is not easy, but for many of us, it is necessary. If unpacking all of this on your own is causing excess stress or anxiety, consider asking an expert for help. Alcohol use disorder is a complex condition that can wreak havoc on relationships.
- Drinking alcohol doesn’t just affect your relationship with your partner — it can also have an impact on your children’s mental health, too.
- This is especially true if they witness certain issues within their parent’s relationship.
- It can take a long time for family members to begin to heal from the trauma of living with a family member who abused alcohol.
- When paired with problems that can also arise from excessive alcohol use, drinking can sometimes negatively affect our relationships with the people closest to us.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common addiction, affecting nearly 15 million adults in the United States. While alcohol dependence can be devastating to one’s health, it can also impact a person’s relationships, including the most meaningful people in their life. If you’re concerned that your relationship exhibits patterns like these, it may be time to look at the relationship honestly, considering the way alcohol is impacting it while finding ways to improve it. This may be a harsh and difficult reality to consider, and in the case of addiction, it will probably mean the drinking needs to cease.
Important note on domestic abuse
For example, if you’ve forgotten important dates due to drinking or canceled plans from a severe hangover, your drinking may be causing relationship problems. Addiction can cause you to value spending money on alcohol instead of prioritizing financial health for yourself and your family. There is no obligation to enter treatment and you can opt out at any time. Naltrexone pills can be prescribed https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/how-alcohol-can-affect-relationships/ to a person who is still drinking to help them reduce their alcohol intake. For example, if a woman falls and breaks her hip, her husband is likely to be understanding that she will have to limit her activities, and she will need physical therapy to recover from her injury. Normal personality traits can disappear during intoxication and be replaced with selfish, angry, and egotistical behavior.
Your provider can prescribe medications that can help people stop drinking and help with symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. They can also recommend treatment programs that may help with detox and recovery. The important point here is substance abuse by a partner causes damage to the marriage or relationship, and these problems need to be treated, too. As previously indicated, the relationship and the issues within it need to be thoroughly addressed – if they aren’t, then conflict will continue, and the likelihood of a relapse increases. In this way, lasting recovery from alcohol dependency, in part, relies on making the relationship better. Aside from physical and mental abuse, alcohol addiction has other, significant consequences for relationships.
Married to a High-Functioning Alcoholic
We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. Encouraging our loved ones to get treatment is important, but there are also other steps that can help us protect our well-being. There are tips and resources available to help you along your SUD and relationship recovery journey. Your SUD recovery may benefit from the social support and closeness, too.
When a treatment facility provides family therapy services, family members can help by showing up to therapy sessions. Yet, it is much more common that an alcohol problem leads to a lack of intimacy that can hurt a relationship over time. They may put themselves and others at risk by secretly driving under the influence with children in the car. Even though they think they’re being good parents, high-functioning alcoholics can’t be fully committed to their children’s well-being when alcohol is also a major part of their life. It can be difficult to tell if your boyfriend, girlfriend or partner is an alcoholic.
Inpatient or Outpatient Treatment
Furthermore, the time and energy spent on managing the challenges of the relationship often leave little room for maintaining friendships and social activities. From dating an alcoholic to living with one, the impacts are deep and often heart-wrenching. Here, we delve into the complex world of alcoholism and relationships, focusing on how this substance can affect bonds, impact lives, and challenge the concept of love and companionship. Sometimes husbands and wives of high-functioning alcoholics are the only ones who know their spouse has alcohol problems. People addicted to alcohol may be able to function at work or in social drinking situation, but they’re unable to hide the disease from the person closest to them.