Navigating Domestic Abuse and Addiction Recovery

The relationships in your life can be an integral part of healing. Indeed, how people treat you may affect how much of your energy you can put into recovery. If you are struggling in a relationship in your life, it can be a block to being able to get into treatment. Domestic abuse is a serious situation that can put you in danger and make you more susceptible to maladaptive coping behaviors like substance abuse. West Coast Recovery Centers takes domestic abuse situations seriously and will work to help you do what is best for you and your health.

Abuse in relationships can be incredibly serious and difficult to handle on your own. It is important to know that you are not alone in this situation, and that help is available. If you are in an abusive relationship, you may turn to substances to cope with the situation. Treatment can help you find healthy coping skills to overcome substances and give you the resources you need to get out of unsafe situations. Domestic abuse is never your fault, and with the help and resources you can get through treatment, you can become resilient and heal from the difficult things you have experienced.

Relationships and Addiction

Interpersonal relationships of all kinds affect your mental health and your sobriety. According to Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, social relationships and social support play a large part in your sobriety and mental health journey. Getting clean from substances and working through your mental health can be difficult to do without support. When you are struggling, you need people to help remind you about how far you've come. Meanwhile, having healthy relationships surrounding you will give you people to lean on and talk to when you need help.

If you have unhealthy relationships around you, it may be more difficult to get help. When the relationships around us cause us distress or make us feel unsafe, we may avoid treatment. If you make changes in yourself, but the external situations around you remain unsafe or uncertain, you may not be able to stay in recovery. For example, when you are struggling in an abusive relationship, you may be in fight or flight mode all the time. Abuse is serious and can impact your ability to care for yourself and do what is best for you. 

Understanding Domestic Abuse

Domestic violence and abuse is a repeated pattern of violence and abuse in intimate personal relationships. As stated in the publication titled Domestic Violence by authors Huecker, King, Jordan, and Smock, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men are victims of domestic violence. In a romantic relationship, the cycle of abuse can be difficult to escape. Abuse is considered a pattern of behavior that is used to gain or maintain control over a romantic partner. It can be sexual, physical, emotional, financial, or psychological threats or actions that a person may use to get control. Domestic abuse may also include behaviors that aim to threaten, scare, wound, intimidate, or manipulate others. 

Abuse is never the victim's fault, and is not something that you need to hide. It is never okay, and you are not alone in what is happening in your relationship. If someone is exerting control over you, it is important to know that there is help available. Abuse can be difficult to escape, especially if you are struggling with addiction and mental health issues on your own.

You may want to stay with your partner because of the memories and history you have together. It may also feel like there is no way out of these relationships. You may also depend upon this person and feel that in your struggles, you can't leave. Treatment can help you find a way to get out of an unsafe situation so that you can take care of yourself and focus on your health. 

Getting Help

When you get treatment for addiction and mental health, you can find resources that will help you make the best decisions for you in your relationships. Providers can show you a path forward to get out safely and surround yourself with safe and healthy relationships to help you. At West Coast Recovery Centers, we offer treatment that is catered to our clients. We offer different forms of treatment that will teach you the best ways to handle interpersonal relationships. 

Treatment may consist of a variety of therapeutic techniques, helping you learn communication, conflict resolution, and other skills to help you gain better awareness and control over your life. At our treatment facility, we will help you build a support network to help you through the difficult period of getting into recovery and leaving an abusive relationship. We can also connect you with support groups where you can meet people in similar stages to you. This support is critical, as it will help you to see that you are not alone and that you can get through this.

Our relationships can be integral to our recovery and well-being. Having a healthy support system around you is important when you are getting into recovery from addiction. If you are experiencing abuse, you may feel that turning to substances gives you an out to your struggles. Abuse is never the victim's fault, and there are resources that you can get in treatment to help you leave. In treatment, you work to develop better coping skills and handle your stressors. We can also provide you with the skills that you need to leave an abusive relationship and find support. To learn more about resources for those struggling with domestic violence and abuse, call West Coast Recovery Centers today at (760) 492-6509.