How To Tell If Your Significant Other Is Abusing Substances

Substance abuse reaches every cross section of society regardless of religion, income level, sexual orientation, or any other features that are used to categorize people. There are plenty of people that fell into addiction simply because they became addicted to painkillers prescribed to them after an accident or surgery. Having a spouse that has a substance abuse problem might be hard to figure out as they surely will be hiding their problem from you. The best thing that you can do is to be observant and confront the issue immediately. Allowing the addiction to worsen is only going to make the path to recovery that much longer. Finding the right addiction center or recovery program is important as well. The following are signs that you need to talk to your spouse about a substance abuse issue.

Legal Problems

A DUI or possession of narcotics charge can be a blessing in disguise for your spouse. If they are convicted there is a probability they will have to do some kind of substance abuse counseling. These programs can include drug and alcohol testing along with group or individual counseling sessions. Legal problems might also lead to jail time so it is still important to get the best legal representation possible. An arrest is a red flag that the use of substances by your spouse is getting out of control.

They Are Constantly Drinking Or High

A spouse that is constantly drunk or high can be a nightmare to deal with. Not having a spouse that is accountable for their actions due to the stupor they find themselves in daily can be difficult and strain a marriage. A spouse that you cannot take out into public is an obvious sign that they have a problem. If it has already gotten to this point it is time to sit down to have a serious talk. At times an addict might know there is a problem but will not do anything until they know other people have observed their addiction. In the case of the alcoholic tapering their drinking down should be done rather than quitting cold turkey as this can be dangerous as the addict is too chemically dependent.

Loss Of Job

Keeping up with goals at work when intoxicated can be nothing short of impossible. There are those functioning addicts but for the most part addicts cannot hold onto a job for very long. If your spouse is in some short of sales job and works on commission it will be easy to see how they are doing simply by looking at their paycheck. Remote workers have seen a rise in substance abuse as they do not have a boss to call them out for being high or drunk in their physical presence.

Finances Become A Huge Issue All Of A Sudden

If you and your spouse all of a sudden have financial problems when you have never had them in the past this can be a sign of substance abuse. Alcohol is relatively cheap when compared to other drugs so a drunk spouse likely will not be cleaning out the bank account over the course of a month or two. Constant withdraws of cash are a perfect example especially if the ATM is in a bad part of town with high drug activity. Confront your spouse with documents in your hand that prove they have been spending a lot of money and you want to know where it has been going.
Look for the signs that your spouse has a substance abuse problem as catching it early can make all of the difference!