Rehab for Couples: What You Should Know
Substance abuse treatment is typically a highly individualized and independent process, but couples sometimes attend together. Attending couples therapy can help you and your loved one work through the complexities of addiction as a team, just as you approach your relationship. However, it may be better to try couples therapy after substance abuse treatment.
Are you or someone you love dealing with drug abuse? Let Zinnia Health answer your questions in a caring, confidential phone call. Call our helpline 24/7 at (855) 430-9439 to speak with our team of addiction treatment specialists.
What Is a Couples Rehab Program?
Peer support and a strong network are important during rehab treatment, but most alcohol and drug rehab programs are made for individuals. If you’re in a romantic relationship with someone and both need help overcoming alcohol or drug addiction, there are ways to attend a program together.
An inpatient rehab facility may accommodate you and your significant other by providing a room for both of you to share. However, treatment will still need to be customized to individual needs, meaning you might not attend all the same appointments. Other facilities may house you separately so you can focus on your own recovery.
Both inpatient and outpatient providers can accommodate the couple’s treatment by scheduling joint and individual therapy sessions. They may also add family or couples therapy to help you learn how to better support each other through the recovery process.
Benefits of Couples Addiction Recovery
A couples rehab program may be beneficial if:
- You and your loved one live in the same household: If you share a household, having one person attend rehab while the other does not can negatively impact the relationship and the healing process. Attending together can support both on the recovery journey.
- You and your loved one have a supportive dynamic: If you have a strong relationship, being there for one another can help you act as a sounding board for the other and work through triggers and impulses as a team.
- You and your loved one have special considerations: If you or your significant other experience mental health challenges, including trauma-related symptoms, going through recovery together may be an option.
If you aren’t sure whether you’re a good candidate for couples rehab, ask your healthcare provider or speak to an addiction rehab center to discuss your options.
When Should Couples Not Attend Rehab Together?
There are situations where a couple should not attend rehab together, such as when:
- There’s a history of domestic violence: Attending drug or alcohol rehab together is not recommended when there’s a history of physical or emotional abuse in the relationship. Even if this has been worked through, withdrawal and recovery can pose overwhelming emotions and impulses, and it is best for the couple to work through these as individuals.
- There’s an unhealthy codependency: If there is an unhealthy codependency in a relationship where one or both individuals feel like they cannot function without the other, they should go through recovery alone, no matter how difficult it may seem. During recovery, each individual learns healthy coping methods for anxiety and other issues that provide lasting independence and confidence.
- They require a different level of care: If the individuals have been using different substances, are at different stages in their recovery journey, or otherwise require different levels of care, it may be best to navigate the recovery process as individuals. This ensures each person gets the exact assistance they need.
- They do not share the same goals: If one person is ready to go through detox and the other does not want help with addiction, going through addiction together may not be the right choice. The person who is ready to seek treatment should enroll right away and get help staging interventions to help the other see the way to sober living.
If you or someone in your family is suffering from substance abuse, help is available. Zinnia Health can connect you with answers and resources in your area. Speak to our team by calling (855) 430-9439 for a free, no-obligation conversation.
Goals of Couples Addiction Treatment
When couples attend addiction treatment programs together, there are multiple goals that treatment centers will work toward, including:
- Treating the individuals’ needs. The primary goal of substance use disorder treatment is to help each individual through detox and recovery at their own pace, even if that means going to separate appointments or receiving different types of support.
- Supporting a healthy relationship. Through cognitive behavioral couples therapy, a treatment provider will help the couple see how they have helped and hindered each other’s history of substance use, help them identify causes and triggers, and teach coping skills that they can use together.
- Enabling family therapy. Family therapy is often included in the drug and alcohol addiction treatment process, but a couple attending treatment may go through family therapy as a unit, with in-laws and children in attendance, to improve the family dynamic.
What Is the Addiction Treatment Process?
The specific types of treatment included in a couples rehab program will depend on the needs of each individual and may include mental health treatment and support groups. Couples will also be encouraged to enroll in aftercare, which may involve text support or continued group therapy, so they can stay on track together and break the cycle of addiction.
When you and your partner are ready to seek help with addiction, the process typically looks like this:
- One or both of you will consult with your healthcare provider to get more information about resources in your area, or you can call the free helpline at (855) 430-9439 to learn more about your treatment options.
- You’ll discuss your history of drug or alcohol abuse with a professional to determine whether you will benefit more from inpatient or outpatient rehab. They may also ask about co-occurring disorders, like anxiety or PTSD.
- Admissions navigators will help you fill out the necessary paperwork to enroll in a treatment program and discuss what the terms of treatment are for you and your significant other (like whether you can share a room).
- You or the facility you choose to work with will contact your insurance provider (if you have one) to determine insurance coverage. Otherwise, they will discuss what financial assistance is available to you to cover the cost of treatment.
Substance abuse can feel impossible to overcome on your own, but our specialists at Zinnia Health are on your side. Call our 24/7 helpline at (855) 430-9439 to have a free, confidential conversation with our team of addiction specialists and get connected with resources in your area.