Studies of the effects of substance abuse on the marital relationship have not always been able to prove that the abuse is the direct cause of marital problems, according to JRank, a website that offers a variety of family and marriage-oriented encyclopedias. Research into substance abuse and marriage tends to be more correlational, showing that negative effects are found to happen concurrently with abuse. However, there is a distinct relationship between substance abuse and marital problems.
Codependency
Substance abuse can turn the non-using spouse into a caretaker when she must compensate for her partner. It puts you in the position of aiding, abetting and covering up for your addicted spouse, such as when he's unable to work or attend a family function. This is called codependency and is defined by Merriam-Webster as a condition that occurs when your spouse's substance abuse begins to control your behavior as well. You may become addicted yourself--not to the drugs or alcohol, but to caring for and compensating for your spouse, says Neill Neill, Ph.D.
Communication Problems
Communication suffers when it is fueled by alcohol consumption or drug use, often deteriorating into name-calling, blame and criticism. Alcohol especially has been linked with anger and negative verbal exchanges between couples, according to an article published in "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research," by authors Theodore Jacob, Kenneth Leonard and Jon Randolph Haber. Alcohol also affects an individual's capacity to understand what's being said to him. Lack of affirmative communication can break down the marital relationship.
Intimacy Issues
When your spouse begins leaving the home regularly to engage in drug use or to drink at a bar, it results in less and less personal contact between the two of you, which in turn can lead to emotional distance. Emotional distance affects sexual intimacy. In addition, alcohol has been linked to erectile dysfunction in men and reduced orgasms in women, according to "Archives of Sexual Behavior," researched and written by Sharon Johnson, Deborah Phelps and Linda Cottler.
Irresponsibility
When your spouse is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, she usually can't summon much interest for performing household chores or family-related errands. In their publication "Journal of Drug Abuse," Karen Jennison and Kenneth Johnson say that responsibility for such things then typically falls to the non-using spouse and this can cause him stress and resentment, neither of which are good for a marriage.
Financial Loss
Funding his addiction can become an obsession for a drug or alcohol abuser and can lead him to drain marital funds intended for mortgage and other household bill payments, according to JRank. On top of marital difficulties, creditors may begin hounding, making matters worse.
Abuse
JRank cites a 2001 study that established a correlation between incidents of domestic violence and one or both of the parties drinking at the time. Up to 40 percent of men and up to 34 percent of women admitted being under the influence of alcohol.
References
- Learn-About-Alcoholism: Alcoholism and Marriage
- JRank Marriage and Family Encyclopedia: Effects of Substance Abuse on Families
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: Substance Abuse and Intimate Relationships
- National Healthy Marriage Resource Center: Frequently Asked Questions About Alcohol and Marriage
- Merriam-Webster: Codependency
