When you are struggling with addiction, it is common to feel alone. As a disease, addiction can make you focused on the next time you are using substances, and therefore, you often feel outside of your relationships and from the world. However, you are not alone. Admitting your addiction to your spouse can be and is often important within the process of healing. It helps you to seek treatment that you need, receive support, and share the process with someone whom you love and trust. Treatment at Rancho Recovery often involves the family within the process as a result of the value of their involvement in your recovery.
Admitting Your Addiction Helps You Get Help
When you are struggling with addiction, admitting your challenges is the first step to healing. Admitting your addiction helps you to have effective support from your loved ones. However, being honest also helps you take the steps that are most effective in building skills and being able to recover from addiction.
Effective Support
Your spouse is the person who often knows you best. They are with whom you spend time and energy building a life together. However, in order for your spouse to be supportive, they need to know what is going on with you. Admitting your addiction to your spouse helps them understand what you are going through. It also helps them support their own needs and provide you with support in your recovery.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), family support is unique to you and your spouse. This is because effective support takes your and your spouse’s needs into consideration. While support techniques can be learned in family therapy, it begins with being honest and admitting your addiction to your spouse.
Honesty With Yourself and Loved Ones
Taking steps to make changes in your life is difficult. The foundation of change is honesty. Treatment at Rancho Recovery prioritizes honesty. This is due to the need for you to be honest with yourself and your loved ones about your challenges.
When you admit that you are struggling with addiction, you give yourself the chance to make changes. Essentially, you paint a clear picture of the challenges you have, to yourself and your spouse. This then gives you both the chance to look at it and think through steps to effectively recover that are best for you.
Talking to Your Spouse About Addiction
Speaking with your spouse about your addition is helpful. However, it is not easy. It means admitting that you are struggling and can be a difficult subject to breach. However, discussing your addiction as a disease and asking for help are two ways that can guide the conversation in a positive direction, and give you words to use when discussing your addiction.
Your Addiction Is a Disease
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction as a disease. This is because addiction is a process that impacts the structures and functions of the brain. It is a chronic relapsing disease that requires long-term recovery techniques. These help you to heal and build a life free from the compulsions of addiction.
The structure of addiction as a disease gives you a way to speak with your spouse regarding your behaviors around addiction. You can begin by describing the choices and feelings that you have surrounding addiction. Then, you can discuss with your spouse how these are a result of the changes in the brain and body that occur in addiction. This can help your spouse to understand addiction better. However, it can also help both you and your spouse understand the need for treatment that isolates the deep causes of addiction and helps you build skills for long-term recovery.
Asking For Help
You and your spouse are partners. While every relationship is different, your spouse is in an ideal position to provide you with support and help. They can help you to get into treatment. However, they can also help you by providing you with support and care both before and after treatment that helps you maintain your recovery.
When you discuss your addiction with your spouse, it is an ideal time to ask for help. This can help to direct the conversation away from blame or defensiveness. Instead, you can approach your spouse asking for them to support you in making changes and healing from the disease of addiction.
Asking for help can be difficult. It means putting away your pride. You need to admit to both yourself and your spouse that you do not want to do it alone. Fortunately, you do not have to do it alone. When you admit to your spouse that you are struggling, they can help you take steps towards treatment and a better life free from addiction.
Speaking with your spouse can be difficult. However, when you take the necessary steps and admit your addiction, it can provide you with the motivation and support you need to get help. As a result, it is often an important step in the treatment process. At Rancho Recovery, we understand the value of family support and help our clients and their families to heal together. In addition, our staff provides support for those considering treatment, helping them to take the steps they need in order to get started in addiction treatment. To learn more about our treatment center and how we can help you, call us today at (877) 484-1447.