How Alcohol Addiction Affects Relationships

Alcohol addiction doesn’t just affect the person drinking. It affects the relationships with everyone around them too. 

Since alcohol is legal and is heavily woven into social life, it can be easy to write off when someone has had too much to drink and starts acting differently, chalking it up to a rough day or “just how they get” rather than recognizing a pattern. Eventually, the pattern catches up, straining the relationships closest to them as their drinking and behavior spiral out of control. 

This article looks at how alcohol affects romantic partnerships, family relationships, and friendships, and what it takes to start repairing that trust. 

Why Alcohol is Different from Other Addictions in Relationships

For many people, alcohol is a regular part of life. Nobody blinks at a glass of wine with dinner, or a beer at a weekend barbecue. But when casual drinking becomes excessive, it can create problems in relationships, whether with a spouse, a parent, or a friend. 

Alcohol addiction is damaging to relationships partly because of its normalization at social events, and largely because it causes changes in someone’s behavior, such as impaired judgment and mood swings, among others. 

These changes strain relationships over time, and it often takes something extreme, like a DUI or a broken promise one too many times, before anyone recognizes there’s a problem. 

The Impact on Romantic Relationships 

Every relationship has its ups and downs. However, when alcohol comes into the mix, it can create problems between partners. Small disagreements can escalate into full-blown arguments, and over time, alcohol has a way of straining romantic relationships in these ways:

• Conversations turn into arguments: Alcohol use can cause a person’s mood to shift drastically, and in a relationship, that can look like a partner snapping over something minor. Dishes left in the sink that wouldn’t normally cause an argument can turn into a shouting match that leaves the other partner feeling hurt.
• Growing distant from each other: Trust can also be lost when alcohol is involved. When someone is drinking heavily, they may hide their drinking habits or become distant to avoid being confronted about it, leaving the other person feeling shut out. 
• Codependency or enabling: Excessive drinking can cause a person to start covering for the other’s behavior. They might call in sick to their spouse’s job after a long night of drinking or tell the kids that dad’s just tired. Instead of addressing the problem, they make excuses to avoid it, leaving one partner to carry the weight of the other’s drinking. 

The Impact on Family Relationships 

Alcohol can cause damage to families that impacts many generations. When a family member suffers from alcohol addiction, the rest of the family suffers its effects as well. 

• Strained parent-child relationships: Alcoholism especially affects children who don’t yet understand what’s happening. A promised trip to the park might get canceled because dad isn’t well from drinking the night before, and the child is left feeling let down without knowing why. 
• Extended family tension: Alcoholism can also affect extended family, such as a sibling who calls every few days to check if mom’s answering her phone. She may become tired of being the only sibling who shows up and start to resent the siblings who’ve distanced themselves from the situation. 
• Friction at family gatherings: Holidays can turn tense when a family member has been drinking. If mom gets loud after a few glasses of wine, someone might change the conversation to keep things from boiling over. 

The Impact on Friendships 

Drinking is a common way for friends to get together and hang out, but when drinking gets out of control, it can strain friendships.

• Drifting apart: Alcoholism can cause someone to become unpredictable in ways that impact friendships. They might cancel dinner plans for the third time this month, leaving the other person to wonder if the friendship is still worth the effort. 
• Friendships built around drinking fade: If alcohol is at the center of all hangouts, the friendship may not have much to stand on once the drinking stops or slows down. This can leave both people unsure of what they have in common.
• Less time spent together: When someone’s drinking starts to take up more of their time, it can start to replace time once spent with friends. Someone might choose to stay in and drink rather than go out until the time they used to spend together disappears. 

How Treatment Helps Rebuild What Alcohol Addiction Damaged 

Repairing relationship damage from alcohol is possible, and treatment for alcohol addiction can be a good way to start rebuilding. Family therapy and couples counseling are often built into alcohol addiction treatment programs, helping people address and resolve the trust issues and distance that built up over time. 

Addressing the damage during treatment, rather than leaving it for later, also gives relationships a better chance at repair. Rebuilding trust is a process, not a single event, but partners, parents and children, and friends can set expectations as they work through it, such as agreeing to be patient with setbacks instead of expecting trust to return overnight.  

Alcohol Addiction Treatment at Jackson House Recovery Centers

Jackson House Recovery Centers offers alcohol addiction treatment designed to support both individuals and their loved ones. Our program includes a supervised detox, individual and group therapy sessions, and nutritional guidance to help restore your body’s nutrients.

Family involvement is also a big part of our program, helping clients and their loved ones rebuild trust and communication together. Medication management is available for those who need support for managing cravings or withdrawal symptoms, followed by ongoing care to help maintain long-term sobriety. 

Healing Starts Here 

If alcohol addiction is affecting your relationships, help is available. Healing is possible for both you and the people who care about you, and our team at Jackson House Recovery Centers is here to help you take the first step.

Reach out to learn more about our alcohol addiction program.