A typical rehab center will not allow you to bring your significant other with you. Clients’ significant others could have a negative influence on their partner’s recovery and be a source of distraction.
However, some rehab centers will allow you to bring your wife or husband with you. Some will even allow children to accompany their parents while they receive care.
Other treatment centers will allow couples to attend if both people in the relationship have a substance use disorder (SUD).
When Are Couples Permitted To Attend A Rehab Program?
There are rehab centers that accept couples if both people are facing drug or alcohol addiction. These recovery programs have the tools to address individual needs as well as the needs that couples commonly have.
A situation where couples are engaged in substance abuse together can have complications that need to be addressed if both people in the relationship are to find recovery.
Healing The Relationship
Usually, intimate relationships suffer the most from the behaviors associated with addiction.
These behaviors may include:
- lying to cover up drug use
- stealing in order to obtain drugs
- ignoring the needs of their partner
If a treatment center allows couples to attend, it is because they are able to address these issues and give couples the tools to heal their relationship.
Building Family Stability
A rehab center may allow significant others if doing so helps build family stability, such as for the sake of children involved.
In this case, the recovery center would provide services for the person experiencing substance abuse, the significant other, and their children.
When Are Couples Not Permitted To Attend A Rehab Program Together?
In most cases, rehab centers do not permit significant others to come to a treatment program with you. There are several reasons for this.
A Source Of Distraction
It is possible that significant others may serve more as a source of distraction for their partners, and others receiving treatment at the facility, than as a source of support for their partners.
One reason is that a significant other may be hurt, angry, and critical. Another may be that a significant other is unwilling to address his or her own substance abuse issues.
In these cases, a significant other may do more harm than good, and both people in the relationship may need some distance to heal from their own issues before coming together again.
Limited Facility Resources
Most drug and alcohol rehab centers have limited resources and focus their resources on providing treatment options that will best serve their clients.
Inevitably, this means taking some services off the table, such as providing accommodations for clients’ significant others.
Find Treatment For Substance Use Disorder Today
If you or a loved one needs substance use disorder care, you can find it today. Call us to learn about the recovery process and how to get started.
Addiction Resource aims to provide only the most current, accurate information in regards to addiction and addiction treatment, which means we only reference the most credible sources available.
These include peer-reviewed journals, government entities and academic institutions, and leaders in addiction healthcare and advocacy. Learn more about how we safeguard our content by viewing our editorial policy.
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: A Guide to Substance Abuse Services for Primary Care Clinicians. Chapter 5—Specialized Substance Abuse Treatment Programs
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64815/
