Recovery is a time to focus on your self-care and well-being, but that doesn’t mean that you must neglect your significant other and/or family. While it’s best for people to take some much-needed time to focus on themselves, the health of your romantic relationship depends on whether your partner is supportive of your recovery, if they are focused on their health and well-being too, if they are a great partner to you, and more. Some people find that their romantic partner isn’t the best fit for them when they’re in recovery, mainly because they aren’t supportive or because they pose a risk to the person’s mental and/or physical health.
If you want to maintain a healthy relationship with your significant other while you’re focused on your recovery, there are a several things that will need to take place:
- Your loved one will need to respect your boundaries, and you will need to feel comfortable expressing them
- Your significant other will need to understand that right now is a crucial time for you to focus on yourself
- Your romantic partner will need to be supportive of you while you experience ups and downs of recovery
- Your loved one will need to promote your mental health and recovery, not threaten it
- Your significant other will need to encourage you to continue pushing in your recovery, even on days you don’t feel like it
- Your romantic partner will need to be interested in educating themselves about your addiction and/or mental illness, as well as ways they can better communicate with you and ways of making your home environment a safe place for you
In addition to things that should take place, there are many warning signs that your significant other doesn’t have your best interests – your health and well-being – at heart:
- Attempting to persuade you to use substances again or go back to unhealthy behaviors
- Sneaking in substances into your treatment program when they visit
- Lying to you about their plans for making sure you’re safe when you come home
- Being unsupportive of your recovery
- Trying to keep you engaged with your social circle who used substances with you in the past
- Manipulating or abusing you in any way, shape, or form
Avalon Malibu is a world-renowned, California state-licensed mental health and substance abuse recovery center. If you are ready to seek treatment to develop the tools you need to overcome life’s obstacles and be on the road towards happiness, health, and well-being, call us today at 888-958-7511 for a consultation. It’s never too late, and there are people here ready to help you.
References
https://mountainside.com/blog/developing-and-maintaining-healthy-relationships-in-recovery/
