Addiction is a disease that so many of us deal with daily. It takes a lot out of a person, and even more when they finally try to combat it. The following months, if not years, of sobriety, may not be easy for anyone. Not to the person living through it, and not to their loved ones.
Sober living, contrary to popular belief, isn’t linear. A person doesn’t get better after receiving help from professionals in Scottsdale, Arizona. There will be highs and lows, and possibly some setbacks on the road to recovery.
Those of you who have sober partners are aware of how difficult the circumstances are. However, unless you are sober yourself, you’ll never truly understand what sober people are going through.
This raises the question, what can you and others do to help your partners in these trying times? Considering you don’t know the true extent of their hardships.
Simple: love and support them. You can show support in many ways, some of which are discussed below.
Educate Yourself
Research more on addiction and recovery. This is the least anyone can do, especially with how misunderstood the matters are. This will help shed light on important issues, like the risk factors of relapsing, and existing prevention plans.
Aside from the internet, you should learn from your own partner, too. Everybody has their own triggers, and knowing about theirs is always helpful.
Open Line of Communication
One of the components of a healthy relationship is communication. It becomes even more important in the face of sobriety. Let your partner know that you’re willing to talk about their sobriety if they need or want to. This can show them that you genuinely care about what they are going through. Consequently, it may help prevent them from isolating themselves.
Be Patient
As previously mentioned, sobriety is not an easy road to tackle. There will be many hurdles and setbacks along the way. While you may find this difficult to handle, it’s probably much worse on your partner’s end. They may become frustrated and let their anger out on you.
During these times, it’s best not to fight back at all. Take a deep breath; let them get away with it once or twice. You can talk about their actions at a later time when your partner is much calmer.
Learning more about recovery works well with being patient, although both can exist on their own. Still, having that extra bit of knowledge could lead to lengthier patience, because you know the process of recovery, and how overwhelming and tiring it can be.
Focus On Other Things
In any relationship, sobriety becomes a crucial component once it makes its presence known. It’s always looming, but this does not mean that it should be the focal point of the partnership as well.
You and your partner can never fully escape the reality that they are sober. However, that shouldn’t stop you from proceeding with your relationship like typical couples do. Go on dates, have fun in settings that have no temptations around.
Talk about yourself; let your partner do the same. Explore your relationship, and grow together without making sober living the sole focus of your partnership.