Drug addicts' spouses can have an enormous impact on both their substance abuse and recovery processes. In some situations, the spouse acts as a caretaker during treatment and rehabilitation. In other unfortunate cases, a spouse can be an enabler for an addict's dangerous behaviors. Whatever the case may be, husbands and wives can make or break the recovery process for an addict seeking help.

The worst situation is when a drug addict or alcoholic's spouse is a co-user. Most violence and sexual abuse between couples involve the use of drugs or alcohol, and it can be hard for either addict to escape this abusive relationship. In some cases, an abusive spouse may act as the main provider for the drug to which both parties are addicted. At other times, the victims of violence fear that if they seek addiction therapy, their co-abusing spouses will only respond with more violence. They also fear that their spouse will turn them over to the police if they attempt to seek treatment or leave. Ultimately, one spouse's recovery often destroys the relationship. When the common bond of drug addiction is severed, there may be nothing left to support the marriage, whether it was abusive or not.

Another role which a spouse can unfortunately play is that of the enabler, someone who triggers the addict's drug use. Enablers may buy drugs for their spouses, assuming that they'll just get them elsewhere, anyway. Other enablers may make excuses or even tell outright lies about their spouse's drug use in order to avoid legal trouble or the emotional intensity of facing the problem head-on.

Despite these negative effects spouses can have on addicts' substance abuse, they are also critical to the recovery process. They often must take the first step and enroll their husband or wife in a treatment program. Since spouses are typically the most influential people in addicts' lives, their unwavering support throughout treatment and rehabilitation can also make or break the success of the recovery.

Because they are so important to recovery, spouses and other family members often receive therapy along with the addict. In group counseling sessions, they develop better communication skills and gain a deeper understanding of the root causes, symptoms, and solutions to addictive behavior. However, co-using or enabling spouses can be detrimental to an addict's treatment, and they are sometimes purposefully excluded from this kind of therapy.

At the very least, spouses should lend support whenever and wherever possible during an addict's recovery. Though entire families feel the devastating effects of addiction, it is often the spouses whose close relationship with addicts puts them in the toughest spots. Fortunately, they also have the most power to make a positive difference. If your husband or wife is struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction, call the number at the top of your screen for a toll-free, no-obligation consultation. Even if you think your relationship might be headed for failure, don't hesitate to get help, for your spouse's sake and your own.