Drug abuse can be disastrous to a marriage. Healing your marriage after drug abuse will take a lot of time, patience and understanding from both parties. While it may seem impossible to get past the deception caused by drug abuse, you can begin to rebuild your relationship with your spouse. Above all else, you must remain supportive of your spouse's battle to stay sober.
Step 1
Attend couples therapy to begin to rebuild the trust that was lost due to the drug abuse. If you live near a college, there may be free or reduced-cost counseling available, if you are willing to speak with graduate students who are studying for their degrees.
Step 2
Journal about your feelings. Write down anything you are feeling, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Getting your feelings down on paper will help you process them.
Step 3
Write letters to your spouse, if you do not yet feel comfortable talking about your feelings. Ask your spouse to do the same so that there is an even exchange of feelings and information.
Step 4
Get away together where you can spend time alone focusing on your relationship. Even if you only get away for a couple of hours, take that time to rebuild without bringing up the past. While you work through your past, you still need to try to enjoy the present.
Step 5
Join a support group. Talking to other people who have gone through the same thing will be reassuring during tough times. Find at least one person you can call when you are having a bad day.
Step 6
Attend Narcotics Anonymous with your spouse. As much as you were hurt, your spouse will still need you to support him through his struggle to stay sober. Staying sober is a key element to healing your marriage.
Tips and Warnings
- Remember that setbacks can and will happen along the road to healing. Get back on track as quickly as possible.
- Don't bad-mouth or degrade your spouse. It will make the path to healing extremely hard.
