Witnessing your loved one struggle with addiction can be incredibly challenging to deal with. When trying to confront them, many spouses find that their significant others tend to get incredibly angry or deny that they have an addiction altogether. Many people find that the negative reactions from their spouse often drive them from having the conversation.
Without a doubt, your spouse is likely to get upset and possibly even combative. This makes it critically important that you take steps to help yourself during the conversation and to help convince them to get the care and help that they need.
Educate Yourself on Addiction
No matter what substance your spouse is addicted to, the addiction process can be incredibly challenging. Many people develop cravings and act out due to their reliance on the substance. Many people turn to addiction in order to escape reality. They may use them to feel good. Many use it as an outlet to get over some type of trauma.
Unfortunately, addiction can lead to terrible withdrawal symptoms. This can impact their ability to concentrate and may cause mood problems. Learning about the complex emotional behavior of somebody who is going through addiction can help you better deal with the possible outcome of the confrontation. When preparing to talk to your spouse about their addiction and the possibility of drug detox, you should focus on the following:
- Improve your understanding of your loved one being mentally ill rather than simply suffering.
- Understand that your loved one may not be able to stop doing what they are doing without drug detox or some type of intervention.
- Understand the impact that drug addiction can have on your relationship and your spouse’s ability to connect emotionally.
Taking time to learn about the addiction can also prove to your spouse that you have been putting time and extensive effort into learning about their situation in order to help them seek guidance or go through treatment and drug detox. You should learn as much as you can about addiction. You should also learn about the behaviors of addicts and the circumstances that often lead to addiction. This can help to ensure that you go into the conversation with the ability to avoid misunderstandings or biases.
Avoiding Arguments Is Important
Before you start your discussion with your spouse, it is crucial that you set strong ground rules. You do not want to get pulled into an argument or let yourself get manipulated. You must keep your temper, even though this may be incredibly difficult, so you may need to take a timeout during the conversation. Come back to this discussion when you are cool down.
Getting involved in any type of argument or allowing your spouse to control the conversation that you have can lead to other problems. Many people who struggle with addiction simply do not feel bad about lying to others. They may even try to deny their addiction altogether.
It is important that you recognize when they are attempting to manipulate you or change the topic. There are many instances where spouses attempt to derail others, blame their spouses, or deny that they have an addiction. You should expect this going into the conversation. Regrettably, knowing that it may happen does not make dealing with it any easier.
Keep the Focus on Getting Better
Focus on letting your spouse know that you want them to get better. Drug detox is an invaluable tool that can help them overcome their addiction. It can free them so they can move forward and live a happy and healthier life. Sharing your concern with your loved one and discussing how much seeing them suffer hurt you and your family can be incredibly helpful.
Letting them know about any concerns you have about their long-term health is crucial. You should also let them know that you are there to support them. You do not want to go into the conversation with a heavy focus on drug detox. You will want to ease this into the conversation as you spend more time talking with them. Eventually, you should keep the focus on helping them get the treatment they need to get better. Learning more about drug detox and how therapy can help them to improve what went wrong is crucial.
Before you begin your conversation, it is important to know that the conversation can end up going very wrong. Assess the situation both ahead of time and during the conversation. After all, your goal is to try to get your spouse to enter drug detox so that they can get the help they need. If you are angry and lash out, they may become even angrier or more violent. This will not have a happy ending for anybody.
Never Feel Like You Have to Do This Alone
As challenging as it may be to deal with a spouse who suffers from addiction, there are many other people out there just like you. It is important that you have a strong safety net in your corner as you navigate through your loved one’s drug detox and rehabilitation process. Not only can it help to have others in your corner for your health and well-being, but having others to back you up can help to convince your spouse to get the help that they need.
Reaching out to your spouse’s siblings, parents, or even friends can help significantly. It can also provide you with some emotional relief when it comes to confronting your spouse and trying to convince them to go to drug detox.
Watching your loved one struggle with addiction can be incredibly emotional. Drug detox can help them get on the road to a much healthier lifestyle. Our team at Genesis Medical Detox is committed to helping people in Pulaski, TN, and Muscle Shoals, AL, get the help they need to overcome addiction. If you are interested in seeing how our services can help your spouse, contact us now for free insurance verification to get started.
