The strength of a marital union can be put to the test when a partner is battling alcohol addiction. The good news is, there’s always hope. With professional treatment from an alcohol rehab centre Leicester, the couple can survive the aftermath of a spouse’s problem drinking.

From how to approach treatment conversations with your partner, to the various therapies that promote recovery from this illness, here’s everything you need to know about alcoholism treatment and its importance in a marriage as discussed with Substance Rehab UK’s experts on rehab for alcoholism.

Alcoholism Treatment: Untangling Your Union From Alcoholism

Every married couple desires to experience a strong, blissful bond that lasts a lifetime. A healthy and loving union can be a rewarding experience for both partners, as each one is assured of a companion during the good and challenging times. 

However, as with other committed relationships, marriages are far from perfect. Sometimes, this imperfection can result from a spouse’s problem drinking, which comes between a couple’s bond. If your partner is struggling with alcoholism, it’s easy (and natural) to think you’re powerless to make a difference, but that’s further from the truth. 

You can help your partner break free from the cycle of harmful drinking. In the end, you’ll both get to revive the connection and healthy marriage foundation that existed before this addiction came into the picture.  

Holding a Conversation

Your support starts with having an honest and empathetic talk with your spouse. Remember to pick a convenient time — when they’re sober and in a positive mood. Also, you don’t have to wait until they reach rock bottom to talk to them. Consider approaching your spouse as soon as you suspect their drinking is off track. 

This conversation can become the turning point where your spouse acknowledges they have a problem and wants help. Take a non-judgemental stance and keep a calm tone when talking to them. How do you feel their problem drinking is affecting each of you as individuals and as a married couple? What are your plans and dreams for the future as a couple, and how will harmful drinking shatter these dreams? Being open with your partner will give them a fresh perspective of the situation, and they may feel motivated to make a change.

Respectfully listen to your partner if they choose to open up about their struggles with drinking. Remind them you still love them and are ready to support them lead a sober life. As you assure your spouse, encourage them to give treatment a try. 

Your partner may, or may not, immediately give in to the idea of treatment, but don’t despair. As you bring up the topic from time to time, they may eventually decide to seek help.

Recovery From Alcohol Addiction

To fully overcome this illness, and for healing in your marriage to begin, it’s important for your spouse to enter residential treatmentat a rehab facility. Residential rehab will allow your spouse  to start on their sobriety journey in a safe and supportive environment. It will also mould them back to the person they were before they got caught up in the grips of problem drinking.

They’ll first undergo a medically-assisted detox to restore their body to a clean and normal-functioning state. After detox, your partner’s involvement in therapy begins. The most effective therapies offered by private rehabs to individuals battling alcoholism include:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT will help your spouse change the destructive thought patterns that contribute to their problem drinking. With the guidance of a therapist, they’ll learn how to respond to triggers, cravings and unavoidable situations that are likely to tempt them  back to drinking. This therapy will also target your loved one’s communication and relationship-building skills, which will improve your marriage.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavioural therapy will help your partner find an emotional balance, which will lower their likelihood of turning to alcohol. DBT will also teach them to focus on the present (their recovery) rather than dwell on their past alcohol-fueled mistakes.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) Therapy

This therapy will motivate your partner to actively work towards their recovery from alcoholism. MI will increase their overall commitment to their sobriety journey as it will help them focus on the positive aspects of living an alcohol-free life.

Group Therapy

During their residential stay at the rehab, your loved one will also undergo therapy within a group setting. They’ll get to work on their recovery goals alongside a sober network of individuals also pursuing abstinence from drinking.

Couples Therapy

Private rehabs also include couples therapy to a loved one’s individualised treatment program. That way, both partners can walk on the healing journey together. This therapy will bring healing and restoration to your union in several ways, including:

• Put to rest any resentment and bitterness

If you’re the non-drinking spouse, the therapist will help you develop an authentic understanding of your partner’s illness. That way, you’ll learn how to view your spouse’s struggle from a place of empathy, and manage your expectations as your partner embarks on their sobriety journey.   

• Encourage forgiveness

You’ll have a chance to vent about how your spouse’s drinking affected you. Your partner may also open up on whether you, in any way, contributed to their drinking. As you validate each other’s emotional experiences, you can both heal from wounds of past actions, and lasting forgiveness will become a possibility.

• Restore healthy communication and end enabling behaviours

You’ll both learn how to maintain open communication, which is important as your spouse is likely to face challenges in their sobriety journey. Couples therapy will also help you — as the non-drinking partner — identify and learn how to avoid enabling behaviours that might reignite your partner’s drinking.

• You’ll become their solid support system

Through couples therapy, you’ll learn how to be your spouse’s constant pillar of support as they recover and ways to ensure they remain on the sober path.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment: Final Thoughts

While a spouse’s problem drinking can shake the foundation of a marriage, professional treatment can fix the cracks in your union. As your partner continues to put in the effort, and with your support, they’ll eventually reclaim their life back. Travelling the journey of recovery together will draw you two closer and lead you to a healthier and more fulfilling chapter of your marriage.