Getting Help For My Alcoholic Husband or Partner

If you think your husband might be an alcoholic and needs help with his addiction, Help4Addiction offers a free and impartial place to get professional treatment and advice.

Understanding the signs of alcohol addiction and knowing how to approach the situation with care is important. If you feel that your husband’s alcohol consumption is impacting your marriage or your family life, you can speak to one of our advisors for FREE today to give you some hands-on advice.

Simply call us on 0203 955 7700 to speak to a customer care advisor today.

Speak to us about:

7-day, 14-day, 28-day, 90-day treatment
Alcohol detox
Inpatient alcohol rehab
Outpatient alcohol rehab
Online alcohol rehab
Ongoing support
Secondary treatment
Trouble leaving your spouse
Alcohol impacting your marriage

At Help4Addiction, we use proven techniques to reduce dependency on alcohol and offer key advice to approach a sensitive topic. We want to give all parties the confidence to get help and become the best versions of themselves.

Our team of trained professionals are on standby and ready to talk and discuss your requirements, with no judgement and no obligation.

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Table of Contents HIDE

1 Getting Help For My Alcoholic Husband or Partner

1.1 How Can Help4Addiction Help Treat My Alcoholic Husband or Spouse?

1.2 What Techniques Can Help Your Husband With Alcohol Addiction?

1.3 How Do I Know If My Husband Has an Alcohol Problem?

1.3.1 Declining Physical Health

1.3.2 Mental Health Issues

1.3.3 Increased Alcohol Tolerance

1.3.4 What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Might I Notice If My Husband Stops Drinking?

1.4 How To Help Your Husband or Alcoholic Partner With An Alcohol Addiction

1.4.1 Create An Open Environment

1.4.2 Consider Your Own Well-Being

1.4.3 Don’t Enable Substance Use

1.4.4 Encourage Them To Seek Help

1.5 Is Your Husband’s Drinking Impacting Your Marriage?

1.6 When Should You Leave an Alcoholic Spouse?

How Can Help4Addiction Help Treat My Alcoholic Husband or Spouse?

7 Day Rehab – From £2,000 – As a basic form of rehab, this will involve alcohol counselling, therapy sessions, alcohol detox programmes and other wellness activities. This introductory level can be a starting point and it may be sufficient for some people to overcome basic addiction issues, whilst otherwise may choose to extend their stay for longer. This can take place online, in a rehab client (inpatient) or whilst visiting a clinic each day (outpatient).

14 Day Rehab – From £4,000 – For slightly longer treatment, a 14 day stint may be necessary to help with alcohol addiction. Similar therapy will be included such as counselling, CBT, group therapy and activities to help overcome troubles with addiction.

28 Day Rehab – From £8,000 – A 1 month alcohol rehab stay will continue to support the individual with all the different treatments mentioned, with some choosing to stay for 28 days in the rehab clinic (inpatient) or to stay at home and visit each day (outpatient).

90 Day Alcohol Rehab – A 90 day or 3 month stay is a longer period to recover and may offer a combination of inpatient and outpatient stay. The extended period can give some individuals a little longer to recover and to avoid relapse again too soon.

Alcohol Detox – Online or Inpatient – Online detox is now available to help monitor your alcohol detox under the supervision of professionals. Patients get access to 24/7 phone support and they can receive therapy through one-to-one calls and virtual group therapy.

Inpatient and Outpatient Rehab – Patients have the option of staying in the clinic overnight (inpatient) or visiting the clinic each day (outpatient). Outpatient treatment can be cheaper because you are not paying for accommodation and overnight care, and some perform well to this. Others perform better under inpatient care, being focused to overcome their addiction and

Ongoing Support and Aftercare – Also known as secondary treatment, there are a range of follow-on treatments available for patients following rehab to avoid relapse. This may include having a sponsor, a support line, attending therapy groups and being part of a community organisation.

What Techniques Can Help Your Husband With Alcohol Addiction?

Alcohol detox
CBT therapy
Group therapy
Medication
One-to-one therapy with a professional
Nutrition
Exercise

How Do I Know If My Husband Has an Alcohol Problem?

In the UK, the weekly alcohol limit is 14 units per week, which is the equivalent of:

6 pints of beer (4% ABV), 6 medium size glasses of wine (13.4% ABV) or 7 double measures of spirits (40%)

Whilst this volume might be manageable for some, an alcohol problem emerges when a spouse or partner becomes dependent on alcohol to function throughout the day and there are noticeable differences in their appearance, mood and behaviour.

Declining Physical Health

Substance use can impact a person’s physical and mental health. If your husband has a substance use disorder, you may notice changes in his physical health.

These changes may vary depending on the substance – for example, excessive alcohol consumption is linked to ‘drinkers nose’, cancer, organ failure and many more. Alcohol use is linked to over 60 health issues.

Mental Health Issues

Another thing to look out for is personality changes. Has your husband’s mental health changed recently? Addiction can not only cause mental health issues but worsen existing mental health disorders.

Substance abuse can cause changes in the brain that are disrupted in mental disorders such as anxiety, mood disorders, impulse-control disorders and schizophrenia.

Increased Alcohol Tolerance

A key sign that your husband has developed an alcohol dependence is having an increased tolerance.

The more you abuse alcohol over time, the more your body gets used to the alcohol intake – your body may develop a higher tolerance to alcohol.

Over time, tolerance can turn into dependence. This means that your husband may need to drink alcohol simply to feel ‘normal’ or to function on a day-to-day basis.

What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Might I Notice If My Husband Stops Drinking?

If your husband has developed a physical alcohol dependence, he will experience symptoms of withdrawal when he suddenly stops drinking or begins to consume fewer alcohol units than he is used to.

Withdrawal symptoms can vary from person to person, and the severity of the symptoms can depend on a variety of factors such as addiction history and medical history.

Some common physical withdrawal symptoms may include:

Fever
Headache
Tremors
Appetite changes
Nausea
Vomiting
Anxiety
Low mood
Mood swings

Severe alcohol withdrawal, although considered rare, can be life-threatening. Delirium tremens can include hallucinations. If you think your addicted spouse is experiencing delirium tremens, seek medical attention immediately.

How To Help Your Husband or Alcoholic Partner With An Alcohol Addiction

Create An Open Environment

First of all, it’s important to create an open environment for your alcoholic spouse to open up about their addiction.

Although it can be difficult to remain calm, especially if your partner is currently intoxicated – so avoid lashing out or losing your temper. It may be best to avoid speaking about the issue until they are sober.

As well as giving your spouse a chance to open up about their issues, you can use this opportunity to talk about the effect it is having on you and others. For example, is it impacting the lives of your children or your finances?

Consider Your Own Well-Being

There’s no denying that dealing with an alcoholic can be tough, so it’s important that you look out for your own emotional health too.

Substance abuse is linked to domestic violence/ intimate partner violence. 39% of violent incidents that occurred in 2019 were related to alcohol use.

If you are in an unsafe situation, whether it be physical violence or emotional violence, it’s important to speak up to a loved one – or if you’re in immediate danger, seek emergency help.

It’s also important to assess your own behaviour and your own substance use. When living with an alcoholic, whether it be a friend, family member or your husband, be sure to eliminate any potential triggers and take care of your own needs.

Don’t Enable Substance Use

Avoid enabling their substance abuse. It may seem like the easiest option to turn a blind eye to their substance use, but it will only cause more damage in the long term.

Be sure to set firm boundaries regarding your husband’s drug use or alcohol consumption, and don’t provide drugs or alcohol to your husband.

Encourage Them To Seek Help

You can’t always help an alcoholic by yourself. Instead, you can encourage them to seek the addiction treatment they need, whether it be residential treatment, outpatient rehab, or peer support groups such as Al-Anon.

Whether your husband is addicted to drugs or alcohol, the treatment process remains pretty much the same. Addiction treatment begins with detoxification, and upon successfully detoxing from the substance, you may then receive addiction therapy. Therapy, whether it be couples therapy, CBT, or individual counselling, can be extremely beneficial when overcoming alcohol addiction, teaching effective coping strategies and relapse prevention techniques.

Is Your Husband’s Drinking Impacting Your Marriage?

If your husband’s drinking is starting to affect your marriage, you may find yourself feeling increasingly isolated, anxious, or overwhelmed.

Problem drinking can lead to broken trust, emotional distance, arguments, and even financial strain—often leaving you to carry the weight of the relationship alone. You might notice a shift in his behaviour, from mood swings to neglecting responsibilities or withdrawing from family life.

It’s natural to want to help, but it’s also important to recognise the toll it’s taking on your own wellbeing. If his drinking is creating a wedge between you, it may be time to seek support and consider how best to protect your emotional and mental health.

When Should You Leave an Alcoholic Spouse?

Deciding when to leave an alcoholic spouse is an intensely personal and often painful decision, but it’s important to recognise when the relationship is causing more harm than healing.

If your spouse’s addiction leads to repeated emotional, physical, or financial abuse, creates a toxic environment for children, or if they consistently refuse help and treatment despite your support, it may be time to prioritise your own well-being and safety.

While love, loyalty, and hope for change are powerful forces, staying in a relationship that endangers your mental or physical health can lead to long-term damage.

Leaving doesn’t mean giving up on them—it means choosing to protect yourself when their choices are destroying the foundation of your life together.

About Author

Nicholas Conn

Nicholas Conn is a leading industry addiction expert who runs the UK’s largest addiction advisory service and is regularly featured in the national press, radio and TV. He is the founder and CEO of a drug and alcohol rehab center called Help4addiction, which was founded in 2015. He has been clean himself since 2009 and has worked in the Addiction and Rehab Industry for over a decade. Nick is dedicated to helping others recover and get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. In 2013, he released a book ‘The Thin White’ line that is available on Amazon.

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