“I stopped drinking and quickly realized I was the problem drinker in the relationship,” she said. Her partner drank significantly less when she abstained, and has easily adjusted his own drinking to Royle’s sobriety. How each couple handles their drinking partner’s alcohol use is unique to their relationship, but successful partnerships share several key characteristics. “He marijuana addiction wasn’t supportive at all and kept pulling me back into drug and alcohol use. So it wasn’t until I got the strength to free myself of that relationship that I actually got sober,” Banks told HuffPost.
For example, if you both used to spend every weekend drinking and watching football, the sober version of you may prefer a hiking trip with your partner. Don’t be surprised if many of the activities you enjoyed before were simply placeholders enabling you to drink or use drugs. If you have a spouse who sticks with you and supports you throughout your sobriety, it can be a major source of support. But note that repairing your marriage may be a challenge, especially while you’re continuing on your path to recovery. Discover some tips that may make the transition into sobriety easier when you have a husband or wife to consider as well. Sober people and their partners understand that sobriety isn’t a joint effort.
Whether you’re sober or not, being honest and open with yourself and others helps you grow into a better person and builds strong relationships. Learn more about how to live with a recovering addict here. Married couples promise lives of commitment and unconditional love. When someone makes a commitment to their spouse, it is essential to follow it through, and without this dedication, it will be tough to regain their trust. Without trust, it may be challenging if not impossible marriage changes after sobriety to rebuild a marriage after rehab. When someone in recovery takes positive steps to improve their life, they regain confidence in themselves.
And perhaps they’re feeling judged and defensive, or they’re having a hard time adjusting to the new version of life with sober you. And of course, with all of that conflict comes even more temptation to escape the frustration and disappointment – by drowning it in a drink. Achieving sobriety is possible for individuals struggling with substance use disorder (SUD). Overcoming the symptoms and side effects of substance misuse involves facing the consequences of past actions and repairing damage to relationships. However, what you say and do affects others, and every person is responsible for how they act. Therapy and treatment include identifying how you may have impacted others with your past choices and finding ways to make amends or move forward.
Staying sober when your spouse still drinks on the daily is one of the biggest challenges married people face in recovery. The difference in values and mindset often creates conflict from both sides. Maybe you’re wishing they would stop drinking, or you’re concerned for their health, or you feel they’re sabotaging your attempts to get sober.