Even the people you know the best and love the most can become strangers when they fall into the grips of addiction. It can be disorienting, frustrating, and heartbreaking to watch that process on the other side. But if you think your husband drinks too much, how can you tell when your husband needs rehab? Or what if a sibling, child, or other loved one is in trouble? These are signs to look out for when you’re wondering if your husband needs rehab.
What is Addiction?
Addiction is a serious, chronic mental disease that requires and deserves professional medical treatment. Put simply, addiction causes your loved one to continue drinking or using even when they know it is having a negative effect on their life and hurting the ones they love. It’s important for loved ones of people struggling to understand this: Your loved one is not intentionally hurting you through their drug or alcohol use, and they wouldn’t be able to summon the willpower to stop “if they loved you enough.” The nature of substance use disorder is that it hijacks the brain and makes the most counterintuitive actions feel compulsory. There also is a physical component of addiction that causes withdrawal symptoms when an individual abstains. This causes the brutal cycle of relapse, as people turn back to drugs and alcohol to stop the uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal.
Like other chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, addiction will not get better on its own and will likely get worse without intervention. Indeed, just like those other diseases addiction is caused by a complicated mix of factors: genetics, lifestyle, body composition, past trauma, mental illnesses, and more. Identifying and healing all of those causes is the purpose of residential addiction treatment.
How Residential Addiction Treatment Works
In residential addiction treatment, your loved one will be put into the 24/7 care of a team of clinical experts. Their goal is not just to get your loved one clean and sober; in fact, that’s only the first step. In residential addiction treatment, a clinical team uses a variety of sophisticated addiction treatment modalities to identify and heal the root causes of addiction. At the same time, they provide education on coping skills, relapse prevention, and life skills to ensure that your loved one leaves treatment with a clean slate and is able to keep it that way.
But how can you know if your husband is drinking too much and needs rehab? These are some signs to look out for.
Physical Signs of Addiction
The physical signs of addiction can vary depending on the drug of choice. Some (like alcohol) cause users to gain weight. Others (like cocaine) cause weight loss. Any noticeable swing in weight is telling, then. You might also notice changes in their skin tone: Drugs like meth can cause people to pick at their skin. Their eyes might turn red and irritated. Overall, they may not be taking care of themselves physically.
That can cause drastic and dangerous changes inside the body. High blood pressure, heart problems, liver problems, and more can all result from drug or alcohol abuse. Suffice to say, if your loved one’s physical changes are so drastic that a doctor intervenes, that’s a surefire sign that treatment is warranted.
Behavioral Signs of Addiction
Drug or alcohol abuse can also cause noticeable behavioral changes in your loved one. Are they more irritable than usual? Have you noticed drastic mood swings? They also may be more impulsive, or overly gregarious. When your loved one changes into someone you don’t recognize, you may just know in your heart that they are in the grips of addiction.
Other Signs of Addiction
Addiction takes a toll in so many other ways. It may show up in your bank statement as your loved one spends more and more on drugs or alcohol. They may experience legal issues, or troubles at work.
Paradoxically, one of the most telling signs of addiction is denial. If you approach your loved one and they continue to insist they don’t have a problem despite evidence to the contrary, it might be time to intervene.
Get Help for a Spouse’s Addiction
You don’t have to wait for a “rock bottom” moment before getting help. Any time is the right time to stop the damage that addiction causes, and anyone struggling with substance use can benefit from professional help. There’s no such thing as not being “bad enough” to get help.
If you’re still not sure, or have more questions, contact our admissions team today. They’re available to serve as a resource and a guide to recovery for you and your loved one. Contact us, and let today be the day that new hope blooms in your family.