How a Rehab Romance Can Affect Your Recovery

Rehab romances. They are often talked about, often sought out, laughed about, and more dangerous than most people realize. Rehab romances are the fulfillment many addicts and alcoholics find once they don’t have drugs and alcohol. This kind of fulfillment is dangerous because it can easily disappear, leading back to the fulfillment of drugs and alcohol. And when an alcoholic or addict starts finding fulfillment in drugs and alcohol they can easily fulfill themselves straight into their grave.

Because whether or not anyone admits it to themselves it doesn’t change the fact that a rehab romance can affect your recovery. And here is the how and why of it.

When you entered rehab you might have or might not have realized the severity of your situation which whether or not you like to admit it is a life and death one. Entering rehab means there was something significantly wrong in your life to the point where you needed to seek outside help. If you have entered rehab you entered into it with the idea of fixing what was wrong in your life; your drug use and drinking. Rehab can help you fix what was wrong if you let it and if you keep your focus on the ultimate goal; getting sober and staying sober so you never have to go back to using drugs and drinking. But, unfortunately there are many distractions in rehab if you allow them to do just that; distract you.

Rehab romances affect your recovery by distracting you. When you are in rehab and in groups, talking to your therapist, in 12 step meetings etc. the focus should be on getting well and on making yourself the best possible you that you can be. If you are in a rehab romance your focus switches not to getting well and healthy again but to your rehab romance and that person in particular. If you think it doesn’t you are wrong. If you think in early sobriety you are capable of putting focus on getting and staying sober as well as a rehab romance at the same time you are mistaken.

Often times rehab romances affect your recovery by distracting you from what you are actually meant to be doing in rehab! Not only is there that, but there is the whole added factor of rehab romances offering you comfort. The point of rehab is to be uncomfortable so you can find the permanent solutions that will make you feel comfortable. A rehab romance is far from a permanent solution to your discomfort. But if you enter into a rehab romance it will affect your recovery because just like you obsessed about drugs and alcohol because they took away your discomfort, you will also obsess about your rehab romance because it is taking away your discomfort.

Now don’t misunderstand this post this kind of thing can happen at any point during recovery and can have a massive effect on it. As addicts and alcoholics we are always looking for something to take away our “bad” feelings and that means relationships too. Looking for a relationship isn’t necessarily bad but the hidden reason why and what can happen if the relationship ends are the problem. Looking for a relationship to give you a missing part of yourself or to get rid of discomfort and find relief will only lead to disaster and this disaster will affect your recovery. Rehab romances rarely last and leave the person who had found their solution once again with nothing and no tools to stay sober because they put all their energy into the rehab romance. So with no tools to stay sober, relapse happens, and relapse can end in death. Rehab romances can affect your recovery by literally ending up with someone dead or using and drinking again.

If you or a loved one is in need of drug and/or alcohol addiction treatment please give us a call at 800-951-6135