There’s a long road between acknowledging a problem and getting help for it, but acceptance is always the first critical step. If you and your significant other are struggling with substance abuse, it’s likely impacting all facets of your life. The best chance for a long, healthy relationship is to seek help.
Fortunately, there are treatment options that can help you approach the problem as a team. Here are five benefits of seeking treatment through couples rehab.
Better Chance of Success
Enrolling in a program improves your chances of success, both regarding recovery and with your relationship. One of the challenges people learn quickly during their recovery is that relationships and social groups need to change.
If you’re working to move past your addiction and start a new, healthy life, you can’t have a relationship with someone who isn’t on the same page. Being with someone who still actively uses substances increases your chance of relapsing and getting caught in the vicious cycle you’ve worked so hard to leave.
Attending couples rehab together is one solution to an incredibly challenging problem. By entering treatment together — especially a program catering to couples — you improve your chances of success all around.
Improves Communication Skills
Poor communication can be the death of any relationship. While overcoming substance abuse is a huge step in the right direction, maintaining a healthy relationship still takes work.
As you go through a couples rehab program, you’ll also learn invaluable communication skills to help you navigate your relationship. Additionally, your partner will also be learning those skills. Taking this program together will help you open up and discuss your struggles, improving your relationship and recovery experience.
Helps Deal With Underlying Issues
There’s a significant correlation between substance abuse and trauma. More than half of the people who experience PTSD also struggle with substance abuse. It’s important to understand that trauma doesn’t necessarily mean one defining moment in your life; an unhappy childhood or generational trauma could also impact your substance use.
These underlying issues can also have an impact on how you navigate relationships. If you feel triggered to use substances every time there’s a disagreement, it shows a lack of understanding about how to navigate conflict in a healthy way.
Attending a couples rehab program can help both of you process and work through any underlying issues that impact your substance abuse. Additionally, you’ll learn invaluable coping skills for dealing with the curveballs that life will inevitably throw at you in the future. Again, this approach benefits both your relationship with your partner and with yourself.
Improves Self-Care Skills
As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” In layman’s terms, you can’t give someone else what they need until you care for yourself.
While couples rehab does cater to partners, there’s also plenty of individual work that happens to focus on your own issues. Working with therapists and counselors can help you determine what you need in order to be happy and healthy and prioritize your care.
Offers Ongoing Support
Every care provider will have a different strategy and approach to their practice. However, most couples rehab centers will offer ongoing support as you navigate through your recovery journey. You might choose to do an inpatient program to get started, then shift to an outpatient program as you progress.
Look for a treatment program that has options for people at all stages of their recovery. Being able to go back to a familiar place for additional counseling sessions can be incredibly beneficial. If nothing else, the accountability of knowing people are thinking about you can help when times get tough.
Being in a relationship is challenging at the best of times. If you and your partner are struggling with substance abuse, navigating a relationship becomes even more complicated. Consider reaching out to a couples rehab program and getting better together.
