People that consume excessive alcohol severally tell horror stories relating to their bad behaviors. Almost everybody has also witnessed the negative consequences of heavy social drinking by a spouse, parent, significant other, sibling, child, close acquaintances or friends.
After drinking heavily, some people become over-emotional, rude, violent, or aggressive. Others start flirting or cheating on their partners. These behaviors coalesce into the sub-standard behavior pattern of a person at some point that destroys relationships. The individuals affected by the behavior of the alcoholic feel betrayed and ashamed. They can even stop respecting the alcoholic.
When used moderately, alcohol is considered a social lubricant. But, when abused, alcohol has dire consequences. It’s not surprising that many people are struggling with alcoholism in couples rehab centers after fighting with their partners over their drinking problem. Relationships and alcoholism are generally at odds with one another for varied reasons.
Deception
Most people become liars once they allow alcohol to control their lives. Lying becomes a self-preservation mechanism. They lie to convince other people that their drinking problem isn’t that bad after all.
An alcoholic will always lie about alcohol consumption patterns or bad behavior. They also sneak alcohol on realizing that other people are not looking. Unfortunately, this ruins the trust of the people around them.
Bad Memories
Heavy drinking impairs the storage of short-term memory. Regular blackouts are a normal part of the life of an alcoholic. That means they don’t recall what happened when intoxicated. Quite literally, alcoholics make terrible decisions mindlessly. These decisions can affect them and their loved ones.
Most alcoholics are impulsive and uninhibited when drunk. This lowers their ability to quantify the potential consequences of their actions or make the right decisions. What’s more, it easy to deny the extent of behavior that can be hazardous when a person can’t remember. That’s why arguments and fights are common among some partners before they seek help from a rehab for couples at AddictionResource.com.
Extreme Emotions
You’ve probably seen a person that starts crying shortly after having awesome moments. This is a perfect indication of how alcohol impacts emotions. Some people see this as disingenuous behavior or emotional manipulation.
It occurs when emotions are not completely real or not from a rational standpoint. The reactions and thoughts of such people are caused by alcohol after it impairs the ability of the drinker to regulate their emotions.
As such, some alcoholics are generally violent, aggressive, or mean. That’s because alcohol impairs emotional regulation. Although some individuals can put up with an emotional alcoholic, a mean drinker is unlikely to get forgiveness. Alcohol withdrawal effects can make a person anxious, irritable, and depressed even when not drunk. Research has shown that alcohol-related aggression is very common and it’s a major cause of personal suffering.
Limited Social Interactions
People start eschewing personal relationships after alcohol abuse has reached a certain point. This is attributable to several reasons. For instance, alcoholics lose their ability to engage in the activities they enjoyed before they became addicts. They no longer enjoy the simple pleasures o life. This happens because the brain part responsible for rewards processing is hijacked by alcohol.
It can also be because they want to hide the addiction. As such, they avoid events or activities where alcohol consumption is not appropriate or acceptable.
Other Problems
Many people search the phrase “couples rehab near me” because they have realized the wide range of problems caused by alcohol in their lives. For instance, excessive expenditures, work problems, and health issues can make a person seek help with their drinking problem. Some people experience digestive issues, low energy, and physical injuries that relate to heavy drinking. Medical bills can also increase as a drinker with a health problem can make several visits to the emergency room. All of these can affect relationships negatively.
Selfishness
An alcoholic doesn’t want to feel like somebody is dictating to them what to do. This is particularly the case when somebody tries to convince them to seek help from rehab for couples. Such an attempt can even make the person drink more. An alcoholic can drink even if the conditions are not appropriate. What’s more, the person can spend their earnings on alcohol even before they cater to other necessities. And, their emotions are shut down when a person confronts them with evidence and truth.
The worst bit is that they keep drinking when they already know that their safety and health terrify their loved ones. Relationships and alcoholism fail to mix because an alcoholic engages in self-harm unwittingly. For some, their behavior is associated with some levels of danger.
When relationships and alcoholism are combined, they lead to failure or dysfunction. But, this doesn’t mean that alcoholics should be criticized for being the people they are. However, it shows how the mood, behavior, and priorities of a person can be changed by alcoholism dramatically. Heavy and regular drinking can transform the life of a drinker literally. It can make an individual a completely different person for the worse.
However, all is not lost for individuals with a drinking problem. Research has shown that though recovering from alcoholism is a long-term and complex process, it is possible. Relapsing is normal during this process. Nevertheless, understanding what the recovery process is all about can play a critical role in improving the outcomes of the treatment.
The Bottom Line
Excessive consumption of alcohol transforms a drinker completely. That means the person an individual got into a relationship with is no longer the one depicted by the alcoholic. What’s more, alcoholics have characteristics that make it difficult for the people they are in relationships with. They are deceptive, selfish, and have extreme emotions. Some of them have limited social interactions, finance, work-related, health, and legal problems. All these problems make life harder for them and the people they are in relationships with. They are also the reasons why drinking is fun but capable of ruining relationships. Luckily, drug rehab for married couples can help these individuals address these and other problems.
