As you explore drug rehab and substance abuse treatment in Wilmington, you should also consider what you need from a program. While detox services and therapy are a given, there are many different types of counseling services you can receive through a program that can help improve your life. Today, substance abuse treatment centers around holism, an approach that focuses on the entire well-being of a person rather than just a single problem or area.
Your marriage is the most important relationship in your life, and addiction in one or both spouses can lead to extreme inner turmoil and personal conflict. For some, their spouse is one of the people they have used drugs with for years. For others, one spouse’s addiction has led to lost trust, broken communication and love that feels more painful than fulfilling. Through therapy in rehab, you and your partner can begin to rebuild trust, find ways to forgive and learn how to be present for one another throughout recovery.
What Happens in Marriage Counseling?
Whether it falls under family therapy, which is often more beneficial for parents, or couples counseling, marriage counseling helps couples address their problems in a constructive way. It also encourages intimacy through conflict resolution, which is often an area struggling couples struggle with. In cases of substance abuse, which may also be paired with infidelity, dishonesty and feelings of betrayal, finding common ground is crucial. Your therapist will help you and your spouse figure out why you’re both there.
It’s not just about one or both people’s substance abuse but rather the story they want to tell about their relationship. Resolving issues is only one part of the picture; you and your significant other have to both feel like you are working toward something together. That something is a happy marriage, but there are individual goals that have to be met and supported along the way.
Why You Should Get Marriage Counseling in Rehab
Marital issues in rehab can impede your progress and distract you from your sobriety. You can also find that the impending conflict or amount of work to repair your relationship post-rehab is a trigger that only puts you at risk of relapsing. If both partners are abusing substances, then getting help for their relationship is even more important. For starters, you’ll have to consider your partner’s readiness to support your choice to get sober if they have not yet made that choice for themselves. It is not beneficial for anyone in recovery to live with or be involved with a person who actively drinks or uses drugs. Although they may express encouragement, the exposure to their use and access to substances puts you at risk. If your partner has made the decision to get clean with you, then you need to begin rebuilding your relationship without drugs or alcohol.
This can be challenging for people whose entire marriage has become crowded by them and their addiction. Substance use disorders are all-consuming, even if you are considered high-functioning. Although you may be able to work and still fulfill your basic responsibilities, drugs and alcohol will always take top priority in your life. That means your partner will come second or even third or fourth, depending on how much work you have to put into keeping up with family, children, work and so on. Intervening now, while you’re in the midst of treatment, puts you on track to continue improving rather than leaving rehab and being thrust into a chaotic, damaged relationship.
Can I Go to Rehab With My Spouse?
If both of you are addicted to drugs or alcohol, then you can receive treatment at the same time. However, it’s likely best for you both to focus on your individual progress rather than considering sobriety something that is solely shared. You can support one another, and your marriage might be a motivation for you to keep striving toward a clean lifestyle. But each person must make the decision for themselves to seek treatment, participate in treatment and be accountable for their sobriety.
We can help you find rehab for couples as well as rehabs that offer family and marriage counseling as part of their treatment program. If you are trying to help your spouse get treatment for substance abuse, we can also provide information about rehabs near you and connect you with intervention specialists. Contact us whenever you are ready to learn more at 302-842-2390.