Marriage Therapy in Addiction Treatment

The primary goal of addiction treatment is to help you or your loved one restructure lifestyle choices, relationships, habits, mindsets, and coping mechanisms to live a fulfilling life after conquering a substance use disorder. Treatment centers that address co-occurring disorders are effective because they acknowledge the importance of treating all aspects of your health while in recovery.

A huge part of your life may be your relationship with a significant other. If one, or both, partners are struggling with addiction, the ramifications on the mental and emotional welfare of everyone in the household can be major. Therefore, the incorporation of marriage therapy programs can be an essential and helpful benefit of addiction treatment programs.

Marriage therapy, or couples therapy, is defined by Mayo Clinic as “a type of psychotherapy… (that) helps couples of all types recognize and resolve conflicts and improve their relationships.” This help is not limited to married couples only. Any two people who are involved in a serious intimate relationship can benefit from the tools of marriage therapy.

Substance misuse in a relationship can be detrimental to both people even if only one person struggles with the disorder. Enabling is a chronic problem in households where one or more members are battling addiction and it prevents those with a substance use disorder from feeling the full ramifications of the addiction. In relationships, one partner will tend to cover for another, provide funding for the disorder, help to take care of the day-to-day needs, and more.

Benefits of Marriage Counseling in Addiction Treatment

Marriage counseling in addiction treatment can help identify enabling behaviors and teach both the person in recovery and their significant other how to overcome these obstacles. Enabling at its roots is a relationship dysfunction, not a substance misuse dysfunction, and needs to be dealt with through couples therapy while in treatment to truly correct the relationship dynamic.

If both people in a couple are battling substance use disorders, the need for marriage therapy in addiction treatment is even greater. In these relationships, the primary connection between the two people can be the misuse of substances together. When that is taken away from the relationship, serious counseling and therapy are required to rebuild a healthy foundation that is not based on addiction. Without professional help, the relationship can collapse and emotional stress can lead to relapse. With professional help, it is possible for both people to learn to love each other better and in a healthier way.

It can be incredibly trying to live with a person with substance use disorder, whether he or she has already sought professional addiction treatment or not. If your loved one is battling with a substance use disorder, you need support and guidance too. As a couple, you need to mend and heal in more aspects than just the addiction itself to build a new life together on solid ground.

If you or any of your loved ones are battling substance misuse and you need advice on what options are available to you, contact us to learn more about admissions and find out how addiction treatment can help your relationship.