Alcohol use disorder can wreak havoc in several areas of your life. While many people with an alcohol problem assume they are only harming themselves, this sadly isn’t the case: your marriage can often suffer serious harm due to disordered drinking. Starting alcohol rehab in Arizona may be the best thing to help you overcome your alcohol addiction and begin the process of healing your marriage.

1. Breakdowns in Communication

The first of the many ways that heavy drinking can harm your marriage is by disrupting communication. Healthy communication is the surest sign of happy matrimony, and an alcohol use disorder can distort and disrupt a person’s ability to communicate healthily with their spouse.

There are many reasons for this breakdown in communication:

• People with an alcohol use disorder often rationalize their addictive behaviors as acceptable
• They may hide their alcohol use from their spouse, leading to a breach of trust
• People impaired by alcohol are often less able to process information and listen effectively

In addition, the effects of alcohol can change a person’s perspective. What is said during a bout of sobriety may be conveyed in earnest; however, while intoxicated, the person may change their mind about their intentions.

All these factors contribute to misunderstandings and arguments. As a result, they begin to create marital problems that can pile up over time.

At an alcohol rehab in Arizona, you can learn to rebuild healthy communication patterns, re-establish trust in your relationship, and start setting a better path for yourself and your loved ones. Family therapy options can serve as a starting point for repairing your marriage and provide an open and safe place to work through the difficulties you’ve experienced in your addiction.

2. Financial Difficulties

In addition to communication issues, financial problems are an exceptionally common result of an alcohol use disorder. People who are addicted to alcohol can prioritize maintaining their supply of alcohol over other financial responsibilities, which in turn leads to mounting debt, unpaid bills, or drained savings accounts.

Financial issues are one of the leading reasons for disputes within a marriage. Struggling with money can place an incredible strain on an entire family and lead to resentment and blame. This combination of negative emotions can create a toxic environment in the home, where partners become angry at and resentful of each other over money problems.

Finding recovery from an alcohol use disorder may not be able to solve all your financial problems. Still, it can be an essential first step in turning the ship of financial prudence. By breaking an addiction to alcohol, you can prioritize what matters most to you and your family — and stop sacrificing your financial security for your addiction.

3. Decline in Intimacy

Physical and emotional intimacy plays an important role in any marriage. When one person in the marriage has an alcohol use disorder, that intimacy can dramatically decline.

One of the hallmarks of an alcohol use disorder is a lack of interest in other activities that they once found pleasurable. This includes spending quality time with a spouse. As a result, many marriages where one person is experiencing an alcohol problem can result in a widening emotional distance and significantly reduced intimacy.

4. Effects on Children

If a couple has children, an alcohol use disorder can significantly affect their upbringing and development. The children of a person with alcohol problems can often feel neglected by that parent, leading them to develop negative behavior patterns as a result.

Further, a child who lives with a parent with an alcohol problem may be more likely to develop substance use problems of their own in the future.1 This is partly due to genetics. Addiction does tend to run in families, but it is also a learned behavior. A child who sees their parent drinking in response to the stresses of everyday life may learn that this is a normal and appropriate way to act.

In terms of the marriage itself, recognizing how one parent’s drinking affects children can cause further conflict. If your partner thinks you should stop drinking for the children’s sake, and you are unable to do so on your own, this can cause a breach of trust and intramarital conflict.

5. Loss of Trust

Finally, loss of trust is a common result when one partner in a marriage struggles with an alcohol use disorder. This loss of trust can happen for any number of reasons, including:

• Promising to get sober but always returning to drinking
• Failing to keep up with obligations
• Denial that alcohol use has become a problem
• Refusing to get help when it is needed

Trust begins to erode as promises are broken due to heavy drinking. In time, trust between a married couple can be lost entirely and incredibly difficult to rebuild.

This isn’t necessarily the fault of the person drinking; alcohol use disorders are defined by an inability to stop on your own, and rationalization and denial are frequent symptoms of addiction. In other words, addiction is not a choice. However, you can also seek treatment and rebuild trust once again.

Taking the first steps toward recovery by enrolling in alcohol rehab in Arizona can be the beginning of rebuilding the lost trust. After people have achieved sobriety, they can learn to take the steps that repair trust: accountability, honesty, and clear and open communication. Overcoming an alcohol addiction doesn’t guarantee that trust can be repaired, but it is often a vital first step.

Start Treatment at an Alcohol Rehab in Arizona Today

If you or someone you know is struggling with an alcohol use disorder, contact the Wolf Creek Recovery team. Our evidence-based programs can start the process of building lifelong sobriety and repairing the relationships that have been harmed by addiction.

Sources

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6876511/