There are few relationships as close and intimate as the one between spouses. When something is off with someone, their spouse will typically feel that something is wrong. However, it’s not always easy to admit that you can see signs of addiction in family members. But if you want to help in dealing with your spouse’s addiction, recovery and treatment options should be considered. You need to set up an intervention and get them to accept much-needed help.
Some people might benefit from an inpatient program. Others can recover with much less comprehensive support. Wondering what options are available for your spouse’s alcohol addiction recovery? We can help. Contact Midwest Detox online or call us at 833.647.0392.
3 Signs a Spouse Needs Alcohol Addiction Treatment
As the person closest to your spouse, your involvement can make all the difference in their health. An alcoholic use disorder can be life-threatening. If you’ve been seeing the signs of addiction in your spouse, you may be ignoring how severe it is and you might even rationalize changes in their behavior. Below are sure signs that your spouse needs an intervention and possibly to spend some time at a rehab center.
1. They’ve Started Drinking More
Heavy drinking is obviously one of the signs of possible alcohol addiction in family members and friends. If your spouse is drinking more than three or four drinks in a single day, especially if they binge drink in an hour or two, you should be concerned. Daily drinking may also be a sign of addiction. That amount of alcohol isn’t safe for most people to consume.
For many people, one or two drinks are enough to enjoy alcohol. If this isn’t enough for your spouse and it doesn’t even get them tipsy, they might have an increased tolerance. This happens when someone has adjusted to a constant amount of alcohol in their system. Increased tolerance can be dangerous because it encourages people to drink more.
You might not see your spouse drinking alcohol if you keep different schedules, but you will definitely see them hungover at home after sessions of heavy drinking. They might complain about feeling achy or sick as their body recovers.
2. They Experience Withdrawal Symptoms
If your spouse wakes up in the morning complaining about how ill they feel and how they’re feeling the shakes, it might be more than a hangover. Maybe they tried to control how much they drank the night before and are suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Certain signs of addiction aren’t necessarily tied to drinking alcohol.
Here are some withdrawal symptoms you can watch out for:
- Anxiety and depression
- Excessive sweating
- Headache and fatigue
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Problems sleeping
Wanting a beer or a glass of wine after work is normal for some people. However, your spouse’s craving may go deeper than that. With addiction, they might feel like they won’t survive unless they get some alcohol in their system. Cravings like this can come at any moment or during any situation, which can lead to them drinking in unacceptable times and places.
3. Drinking Even Though It’s Damaging Your Relationship
Addiction in family members can negatively affect even the closest of relationships.
Getting their next drink could become more important to them than avoiding anything that can cause damage to your relationship. Sexual intimacy may be put on the back burner, along with other things you enjoy together, like being around family, going out with your friends, hitting the gym, or running errands together.
If they’ve given up spending time with you, and also have given up on some of the things they love doing by themselves, like reading books or cooking, this could be a sign of addiction. Instead of doing other things, they’d rather drink alone.
What to Do If Your Spouse Has an Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol addiction in your spouse should be addressed right away. Drinking alcohol, even when it’s at acceptable levels, can increase verbal and physically aggressive behaviors in couples. If you have children, consider that the children of alcoholics are up to 10 times more likely to develop alcoholism than others. You must immediately encourage them to seek help.
Remember that your spouse may not agree to seek treatment or want to recover the first time you bring it up. You might need to ask a second, third, or fourth time. However, they will eventually feel the need to do it, whether it’s because of your persistence, their physical health, or a situation like getting fired from their job.
What’s important is that you continue to express nonjudgmental support. You can also bring up constantly that alcohol use disorder is a disease, and that like other diseases, they will feel better and heal with the proper treatment.
Alcohol addiction treatment, especially recovery programs that include family therapy, can help to reduce conflict in the family. However, what your spouse can do first is to get into an alcohol detox program. Medical detox, especially when done in a safe environment, will help them get sober while helping them manage withdrawal symptoms.
After they’re sober, rehab treatment can begin. They’ll learn coping mechanisms and be coached so they’ll have all the tools they need for lifelong sobriety.
Learn About Midwest Detox’s Alcohol Addiction Treatment Programs
If you want to learn more about rehab and recovery options for your spouse, you can call Midwest Detox Center at 833.647.0392 or contact us online. Ask about our addiction treatment programs.
