It’s heartbreaking to think that your spouse might be suffering from drug addiction and not letting you into his or her struggles. Sometimes, people keep their addictions secret because of embarrassment and shame. These are some of the signs that your spouse might be using drugs and not telling you:
Loss of Finances
The first thing you might notice if your spouse has a problem with drug or alcohol abuse is missing finances. You may notice that he or she is not tending to pay the bills in a timely fashion like before. You might also notice that you’re receiving less money for the household bills than you used to get earlier in your relationship. In some cases, vital bill payments such as the car payment or rent may go ignored by your spouse. The funds might be going toward supporting a drug or alcohol habit.
Mood Swings
You may notice that your spouse has mood swings. He or she may seem completely content and blissful one minute and angry or depressed the next minute. The shift in moods might be due to withdrawal symptoms setting in and the lack of available drugs or alcohol at the moment. It’s best to try to put some space between yourself and your spouse if you notice more angry and irritable swings than happy ones. Severe withdrawal can sometimes cause violent reactions.
Disappearances
Another sign that your spouse might have a drug or alcohol addiction is sudden long-term disappearances. You might notice that your spouse disappears on payday and doesn’t return home for hours or sometimes days. You might initially think your spouse is being unfaithful with another man or woman. While this may be true, it’s more likely that your spouse is suffering the effects of drug addiction. Drug addiction has a way of prioritizing drug consumption over all other things. Family relationships, work, and bills often take a second, third, and fourth seat to drug-seeking activities. This might be true in your situation.
Strange New Friends
You may also notice that your spouse has new friends that you’ve never seen before. Those friends may be very quiet, low-key, and generally shady characters. They may be dealers or new friends that your spouse met during a drug-seeking journey. Your spouse may have more in common with these strange people than he or she has with former friends and acquaintances.
Unkempt Appearance
As stated before, drug addiction often prioritizes drugs over everything else. That means that you may notice that your spouse’s hygiene slips drastically. He or she may fail to comb hair or brush teeth for days at a time. Their clothes might be dirty, as well. In the worst cases, your spouse might stay up for days and decide not to bathe or shower. This symptom usually occurs only in severe cases. It might be time to think about intervening if you notice it.
The presence of one of these signs doesn’t necessarily mean that your spouse has a problem with drug addiction. You’d need to keep a close eye to see if any additional symptoms appear. You should take action if your intuition tells you it’s true. Help your spouse get into a recovery center like My Recovery Corps if you need to.
Talk to Your Loved One Today
Now you know some of the signs of drug and alcohol abuse in a spouse. Now you can approach your spouse with a loving tone and try to get him or her to confide in you. You can then help your spouse to find the appropriate recovery center to get help.