Ultimately, the decision someone needs to make on whether or not they want to change their life for the better rests upon their own shoulders.
Relationships are what shape people in life, influencing what they do, how they do it, and how their actions reflect upon the relationships themselves. They can be what drives a person to great heights or terrible lows. When someone is in a healthy relationship, they are generally able to overcome obstacles and be content with their lives, but they can also be hindered when the relationship they depend on is degenerative to their well-being.
Addiction can serve as a common cause in a negative relationship, not allowing for a clear interdependence of the partners within, other than to satisfy their mutual needs with the addiction. A healthy relationship is based upon trust, honesty, and a willingness to help your partner through their troubles and to assist them in their endeavors, and being able to expect the same treatment in return.
The Crossroads of Addiction and Relationships
Addiction can cause people to become completely self-centered and absorbed in their need to obtain their high, going to whatever lengths they deem possible or necessary. An addict’s best interests aren’t served in a relationship where their partner is complicit in this endeavor, even more so if such a partner is going through the same experience and seeking the same high.
A true partner will attempt to help the addict as best they can, encouraging them to seek help in a secure and friendly environment, not allowing the addict’s professed needs to befuddle their understanding or sway their efforts. Over time, an addict may come to depend upon their relationship, seeing as how it may become their final true connection to another person who wants to see them happy. However, it will be the responsibility of the partner to determine whether or not the addict is sincere in their actions or if it is just a means to their end of obtaining a high.
Should I Exit My Addiction-Afflicted Relationship?
If someone is in a relationship being affected by addiction, then it is up to them to decide whether or not the relationship itself is serving their own best interests or whether or not their partner truly cares about them as a couple or only about themselves due to their addict-based needs. It is someone’s personal responsibility to determine what’s best for them in a relationship, whether or not their own well-being is at risk due to their partner’s behavior, and what they need to do if their partner is unwilling to seek help or only stays in the relationship to serve their own needs.
It’s important to be able to connect with someone on a one-to-one level, but it’s just as important to remember to protect yourself in a hazardous situation. You must realize that if the person your with doesn’t take your own best interest to heart, then they themselves are the ones negatively affecting the relationship. You also must realize that if addiction is what is causing you to put yourself at risk in a relationship, then you should choose whether you will take steps to assuage the affliction or protect yourself from the situation as a whole.
Ultimately, the decision someone needs to make on whether or not they want to change their life for the better rests upon their own shoulders. You can give an addict all the encouragement in the world, pushing them right to precipice of making a decision, but they must choose whether they’ll take the risk and jump or remain still and resolute in their current situation. They need to decide if they want to be alone in life, moving from one high to the next, or if they will trust in others to help them seek a better way.
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