Signs of an Alcoholic Husband And What to Do

Regarding physical symptoms, slurred speech and bloodshot or watery Substance abuse eyes are telltale signs of alcohol abuse. You may also observe unsteady walking, physical impairment, or difficulty with hand-eye coordination. Extremely important is to pay attention to their ability to navigate a car if they happen to be behind the wheel. Living with an alcoholic husband who doesn’t recognize drinking as a problem can be frustrating. Your husband may have been in and out of alcohol rehab or relapsed several times.

Spent a lot of time drinking? Or being sick orgetting over other aftereffects?

But they may choose to drink at home instead of spending time with their children. Or they may drink in front of their children, increasing their risk of becoming an alcoholic when they grow up. Family First Intervention recognizes how powerful the dynamic of a family system is and how important the role family members play in a substance user’s decision to accept treatment for addiction. We hope a family sees the need to seek professional guidance as much as the substance user requires professional guidance. We are privileged to be an integral part of your loved one’s decision to recover from functional alcoholism. Due to how acceptable social and recreational drinking is, excessive alcohol use may be difficult to identify.

What Are the Legal Consequences of Alcohol Abuse?

It is best to find a therapist who specializes in treating addictions, and you can often do this search through your insurance company or by asking your physician. Being in a relationship with someone who is a high-functioning alcoholic affects not just them, but you as well. While they may seem to manage work and responsibilities effectively, the continual drinking and the pervasive scent of alcohol are telling signs. Here are indicators that your partner, despite appearing functional, may indeed be battling an alcohol addiction and could benefit from professional treatment. Sooner or later, functioning turns into non-functioning, so it’s important to seek residential addiction treatment before they’ve hit rock bottom.

What is the DSM 5 criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder?

• Under the surface, this form of alcoholism can cause severe psychological and emotional damage to the alcoholic and also their loved ones..
• You can even offer to attend an “open” meeting of one of these support groups with your loved one to ease their fears.
• The best way to help an alcoholic partner is to communicate, discuss the issue, and understand the problem.

These behaviors highlight the silent struggle of high-functioning alcoholics and the critical need for timely and compassionate intervention. However, even high-functioning alcoholics can’t keep drinking problems a secret forever. Key warning signs that people are alcoholics include always ordering alcohol when they go out or struggling to control how much high functioning alcoholic husband they drink.

In terms of family life and friends, there is also the problem of “secondary” denial that loved ones may have about an HFA by not believing that they are “real” alcoholics. This powerful sense of denial also prevents the loved ones of HFAs from intervening. HFAs may provide the main source of income for a family and therefore the spouse or partner may not feel that they have the leverage to persuade the HFA to get help. HFAs typically do not realize the extent to which their drinking affects others.