Reasons Why You Need to Address Addiction BEFORE Tying the Knot

Addiction and romance leads to mixed results. The synergy between two people in love is somewhat complicated. Adding drugs to the mix ends up messing up things. If you are struggling with addiction while still in a relationship, solemnizing your vows in a marriage can be a farfetched dream. Here are some examples of negative traits among addicts which can end up putting relationships in enormous strain.

Secrecy

When using alcohol or other drugs in excess, it gets to a point when you start keeping things to yourself. Addiction often welcomes intense feelings of shame, guilt and the fear of being judged. As such, one starts feeling misunderstood, which often leads to a tendency of being secretive. You might not be comfortable sharing personal details about your whereabouts or location. This secrecy often leads to distancing and isolation, which will inevitably hurt your relationship.

Trust issues

Drug addiction and trust issues go together. This is attributed to increased dishonesty typical to drug addicts. As such, your partner will find it hard to take your word once they start noticing some signs of deception. Trust issues also result when you are no longer able or unwilling to demonstrate the respect, honesty, and loyalty you once had for your partner.

Anger and abuse

Addiction to certain drugs limits the way one responds to issues. Increased anger, irritability, and violence will undoubtedly take your relationship to the drain. Not just that, your partner is equally at risk of being frustrated once they feel that they are no longer in love with the person they used to know. At times the sober party will act violently towards the addict due to pent-up frustration.

Enabling

Addiction often leaves you with an unexplained craving for drugs (or whatever the stimulus may be). The moment you are unable to support your addition, you might be forced to turn to your loved one for support. Support includes actions aimed at reducing negative consequences, accepting blames, or taking responsibility for the actions of the addicted loved one. As much as most enablers do it out of love, it often ends up hurting the relationship.

Codependency

This is somewhat similar to enabling on that it seems mutual. In this case, the addict needs the co-dependent, and the co-dependent equally needs them. In this regard, the caretaker figure often ends up covering for the other party instead of allowing them to face the consequences of their addiction.

***

It is essential to address addiction issues while still in a relationship. Embrace strategies aimed at helping you overcome the addiction problem, including support groups and private addiction treatment, if necessary. Invest your time and efforts towards creating a better relationship sans addiction, and the foundation of your marriage will be stronger for the effort.