Are You Dating Substance User Or Alcoholic?

While you may not be addicted to drugs, you may know someone who is, such a friend, family member, or significant other. For many people who have limited experience with alcoholism and addiction, the subtle signs can be difficult to spot. Supply restrictions harm patients who depend on medications, while doing nothing to treat those who are addicted.

However, if you are independent and have boundaries that you can and will maintain – and your potential partner is equally strong – then this could be a functional as well as a happy relationship. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Many drugs are hard to identify, as they are often colorless, odorless, and tasteless. If you find smoking devices, needles, oil vaporizers, or stashes of different devices needed for drug use, you may want to discuss with your loved one what those items are and why they have them.

Guide to Sober Dating

They honed in on impulsivity and conducted a meta-analysis of the existing literature. If so, that seems to make the kinship ties of narcissism and addiction even more evident. One thing that has intrigued researchers about narcissists is that they are ultimately playing a losing game, and prone to self-defeating behaviors.

They might be a fantastic, creative cook, but have trouble getting dinner going on time. Or maybe they enjoy grocery shopping, but they have a hard time remembering specific details, like which brand of tomato sauce you like. If your partner has ADHD, this division of tasks might take a little extra thought, as people with ADHD may have different strengths.

The reality from my counseling perspective is that many people don’t know they have an addiction until their partners have the courage and conviction to confront them and draw healthy boundaries. Then, there’s an individual’s personal history to consider. “We also tend to choose partners based on our early experiences with parents or other primary caregivers,” adds Dr. Curry. These formative interactions inform our sense of self-worth and expectations for others’ behavior that carry over into adulthood, says Dr. Curry. Genesis Games, a licensed mental health counselor in Miami, adds that these important people “can be biological parents, step-parents, grandparents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, and even nannies. If you are dating someone with depression, suddenly you might find yourself alone in this relationship — a far lonelier place than actually being alone.

The drug may be causing chemical changes to their brain that makes them anxious or reduces their ability to enjoy things that they used to like. The areas of the brain affected and changed by drug abuse are the same areas of the brain that control cognition and include learning, memory, and higher reasoning. When drugs are abused, those areas in the brain are altered. This disrupts normal functions and may cause a deficit in memory. Being “successful” is something I think many addicts can be – until they can’t.

The Loneliness of Sobriety

Increased drug abuse can lead to anxiety or paranoia, especially if the drug has left their system and they are experiencing withdrawal. If you suspect that someone drugged and assaulted you, call 911 or have someone you trust take you to the emergency room. The authorities will collect any evidence they can, so try not to pee, douche, bathe, wash your hands, or change clothes before you go to the hospital. Carry it yourself, even if you have to take it to the bathroom with you.

This doesn’t mean looking at yourself as their savior, however. Just because you’re dating a former drug addict doesn’t mean you’re superior to them or they need you to save them. At the end of the day, a relationship founded on this type of unhealthy dynamic doesn’t have much of a chance of being successful for either party. If you’re putting them first without considering your own needs, feelings and experiences, you’re not doing what’s right for you.

No, this does not mean are required to cry or read poems out loud to her. It means do not be afraid to communicate with her on a more honest and deeper level. We are empathetic, and this type of communication builds trust. Mental Illness is part of her, but it does not define her, and if her condition prevents you from seeing her as an individual first, then it is best to leave her be. People with mental illness are professionals, educated, well traveled, creative, artists and individuals.

“That being said, if you’ve experienced a pattern of chaotic, deceitful, abusive, or uncaring dating experiences, then I would urge you to seek some guidance from a licensed mental health provider,” says Dr. Curry. Many treatments for individuals who have a problem with alcohol and other drugs will include the partner in some way. Research has shown that involving partners in the treatment at some point can be very important in helping the treatment succeed. It is also very important that the problems in the relationship be treated; these problems do not go away because the drinking or drug use has stopped. Many couples are both surprised and disappointed that they continue to have many fights and arguments after the substance abuse has stopped.

What should I do if I think I’ve been drugged and raped?

At The Summit Wellness Group, our dedicated team of experts and recovery professionals are committed to helping you and your loved one take that first step towards a new way of life. We use a variety of treatments and therapies and individually tailor each plan to our client’s specific needs so that we can like this provide you with the best possible care. When someone is sliding into addiction, they tend to hang out with people who also use their drug of choice, or use any kind of substance for that matter. Someone may begin to distance themselves from their old friends or loved ones that may try to get them to stop.

Someone can use date rape drugs or alcohol to overpower you so you do not know what is happening or remember the assault. Sometimes date rape drugs are put into a drink without you knowing. Or, you may be drinking alcohol or taking a drug, but someone else makes it stronger without you knowing.