Is Being in a Relationship With a Person Struggling with Addiction Possible?

What is Considered a Person Struggling with Addiction?

An addict is someone who compulsively uses a substance even when they know it is harming them.

Addiction has a major influence on the way that a person thinks, feels, and acts.

Some those struggling with addiction know they have a problem but cannot stop using drugs on their own.

Others do not realize they have a problem until someone helps them to see it.

And if you are someone who is in a relationship with a person struggling with addiction, you might be wondering how to understand what they are going through and if you can help them.

Addiction is a complicated medical problem that is best solved by an addiction treatment program.

Let Emerald Isle Health and Recovery help you learn more about addiction and ways we can help your loved ones realize they have a problem and seek help.

Understanding Those Struggling with Addiction

People decide to try drugs for many different reasons. Perhaps they thought it would be fun, or that it would help them feel better. No one starts taking drugs thinking they will become a person struggling with addiction issues.

But addiction is a brain disease that can very quickly take over a person’s life. Drugs change the way that a person’s brain works, making it difficult to stop taking them. Drugs become the thing that they care the most about. They crave drugs when they are not taking them, and will often do anything to get them.

Many people think that these individuals have a choice when it comes to their drug use, but that simply is not the case.

Addiction is an illness, and like any illness, it needs to be treated, especially to save someone in a relationship with a person struggling with addiction.

How Addiction Affects The Brain & Body

Drug addiction can have many harmful effects on an addict’s life, but it is the effect on their brain and body that are the most serious.

Long-term drug abuse will change the way that their brain works, altering the way it releases chemicals. These can affect their ability to learn, judge things like risk and danger, make decisions, and their memory. It can also make them less able to handle stress, and make them have mood swings or angry outbursts.

Depending on what type of drug they are abusing, the effects on their body can be many. In the short term, drug addiction can cause weight loss or gain, insomnia, changes in heart rate, high or low blood pressure, heart attack, and even an overdose.

In the long-term, drug addiction effects tend to be more serious. They are also usually more difficult to treat because certain drugs cause damage to internal organs. This can include heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease, cancer. And if they inject drugs, they are also at a higher risk of getting HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and serious skin or muscle infections.

How to Tell if Someone is Struggling with Addiction

If you are worried that your significant other may be struggling with an addiction, it is probably because you have noticed they look or act differently than normal. Being in a relationship with a person struggling with an addiction is challenging. There are many different changes a person undergoes when they are addicted to drugs.

Some of these changes can include:

• Sudden weight loss
• Secretive behavior
• Less attention to personal hygiene
• Lack of motivation
• Extreme sleepiness or nodding off
• Depression
• Constipation
• Slurred speech
• Paranoia
• Shortness of breath
• Severe itchiness
• Dry mouth
• Nausea and vomiting

If someone has just one of these signs, it does not mean that they have a drug addiction. But, if you are seeing more than one of these changes on a regular basis, there is a chance that you are in a relationship with a person struggling with addiction. Now is the time to start thinking about talking to your significant other about getting help.

How to Talk to Your Significant Other About Their Addiction

If you are in a relationship with a person struggling with addiction, you may be wondering how you can talk to them about your concerns.

The idea of talking to your significant other about their addiction may seem intimidating, but it can be the push that they need to realize they have a problem. The longer someone uses drugs, the higher the chances of them causing serious harm to themselves. Talking about addiction treatment does not have to be difficult or scary. Here are some tips to help you:

• Only talk when they are sober.
  If your significant other is under the influence of drugs, they are less likely to understand why you are concerned, or to admit that they have a problem. Make sure that they are sober when you talk to them so that you have their full attention.
• Be ready with examples about the negative effects of their addiction.
  Being able to talk to them about specific times that you saw the negative impact of their drug use can make them more understanding of your concern. Maybe they take drugs when you go out to parties. Maybe you have been seeing them less and less as their drug use has worsened. Be honest about what you enjoy about your significant other when they are sober, and how much of a change you have seen since they started using drugs.
• Let them know you will be there for them.
  Let your significant other know you are always there for them no matter what, but that you do not support their drug use. Let them know how their addiction makes you feel and how you see it negatively affecting their life. Tell them how it has been affecting your relationship with them. If you ignore their drug use, they will not see why they should stop using.
• Encourage them to seek addiction treatment.
  Talking to someone about their addiction can be a difficult conversation for the both of you. Try to be sure that you are only expressing your concern, and not lecturing them. Encourage them to seek help by talking about the ways that rehab addiction treatment can make getting sober easier. And when they do seek treatment, take an interest in their recovery. Reassure them that you will be there to listen when they are having a hard time with sobriety.

Free Insurance Verification for Addiction Treatment

Let Us Help Them Overcome Their Addiction

We understand how difficult it can be to be in a relationship with someone struggling with addiction issues.

At Emerald Isle Health & Recovery, we are here to help both your significant other and you with our unique approach to individualized, evidence-based treatment.

Our comprehensive clinical and medical programs help our clients achieve long-term, sustainable recoveries.

Our state-of-the-art facility was built in a highly private location to ensure clients are able to get away from things that cause them stress or trigger their addiction.

We also focus on ensuring that each of our clients feels safe and comfortable so that they can approach their recovery in the most positive way possible.

We realize that many of our clients wonder about how they are going to pay for their treatment.

That is why we accept most major insurances through our free insurance verification.

Simply give us a call, and one of our addiction specialists can verify whether or not your insurance will cover your detox and rehab.

We will also communicate with your insurance provider to ensure that you receive every benefit that you are entitled to.

You can complete a simple form right from our website, or call us directly.

Approaching someone about their addiction can seem like a risky task.

But often what these individuals need is to know that someone cares about them, and is there to help them get the help they need.

Emerald Isle’s team of dedicated addiction specialists can help your significant other with every part of their recovery process, from detox to therapy, and provide you with options for family therapy for a lifetime of success.

Let us help you both with all of the tools and resources that they need to overcome their addiction.