Charlie Health offers a virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) that provides more than once-weekly mental health treatment for dealing with serious mental health conditions, including co-occurring SUD. Our expert clinicians incorporate evidence-based therapy into individual counseling, family therapy, and group sessions. Living with an alcoholic spouse is a difficult and emotionally charged situation.

The impact of alcohol addiction on children

• Establishing clear boundaries about alcohol consumption in your home is also important for setting expectations and protecting yourself from possible harm.
• If you live with someone with alcohol use disorder, you know addiction doesn’t just impact one person.
• If you are looking for treatment methods to help support both yourself and your alcoholic partner through this difficult time in your marriage, keep reading below.
• Friends, roommates, or other family members who live with someone with AUD may also find themselves blaming the person or trying to control their drinking behaviors.
• It’s common for someone with AUD to try to blame their drinking on circumstances or others around them, including those who are closest to them.

This can cause you to isolate yourself from friends and family, so they don’t notice your troubles. Since they seem to be put together from an outside perspective, it can be difficult for them (or you!) to see they have a problem. Try to be impartial when looking at the symptoms of AUDs if your spouse seems to fit this profile. According to a 2017 report, approximately 10.5 percent (7.5 million) of U.S. children ages 17 and younger live with a parent with AUD.

Unfulfilling Social Life

Specific genes may make someone more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, including how quickly they become dependent upon it and how difficult it is for them to quit. Statistically, the amount of alcohol consumed by men is higher than that of women. To help an alcoholic husband, it’s important to be aware of the warning signs and take action immediately if necessary. All professional medical services are provided by licensed physicians and clinicians affiliated with independently owned and operated professional practices.

Let’s talk about your recovery

If your partner struggles with alcohol addiction, you cannot change them. Imagine you’re married to an alcoholic husband who drinks daily and beyond the limit, only to create a nuisance later. Living with an alcoholic husband requires a lot of patience, courage, and the support of people around. Loving someone with alcohol use disorder (AUD) often feels like walking a tightrope. It can be difficult to know what to do to minimize conflict and stress, support your loved one, and tend to your own needs at the same time.

Someone with AUD typically doesn’t want anyone to know the level of their alcohol consumption because if someone found out the full extent of the problem, they might try to help. However, for someone with an alcohol dependence, that expectation may turn out to be unreasonable. If the person is incapable of even being honest with themselves, it may not be reasonable to expect them to be honest with you. You don’t have to create a crisis, but learning detachment will help you allow a crisis—one that may be the only way to create change—to happen. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• Specific genes may make someone more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, including how quickly they become dependent upon it and how difficult it is for them to quit.
• Understand that recovery is a journey and not necessarily a one-time goal.
• I had had a really difficult last few years post-home invasion and struggled with a lot of emotional, mental, physical feelings.

Do Understand They’ll Need Outside Help

In couples therapy, the therapist helps the couple navigate the challenges that arise from addiction, facilitating open and honest communication. The focus is on developing healthy coping strategies, addressing underlying issues, and finding ways to support each other through the recovery process. Therapy can help non-alcoholic spouses regain how to live with an alcoholic partner a sense of control over their own lives, build resilience, and develop strategies to navigate the complex challenges that come with living with an alcoholic spouse. It is important to seek out a therapist who specializes in addiction or has experience working with individuals affected by addiction. Remember, taking care of yourself is not selfish but essential for your own well-being. By setting boundaries and prioritizing self-care, you can navigate the challenges of living with an alcoholic spouse while safeguarding your own emotional and mental health.

Next steps

After recovery, some people with AUD may need support from friends and family. You can help by offering unconditional support, including abstaining from drinking yourself. Intoxication can also present other unpredictable events, including physical dangers.