Summary
When a spouse is struggling with an addiction, that individual’s marriage is often affected in numerous ways that impacts the family as a whole. In this workshop, licensed mental health professionals and ministry leaders will examine how addiction and compulsive behaviors impact important marital dynamics such as honesty, accountability, humility, and gratitude. Furthermore, the addictive behavior can create negative relational patterns such as codependency, enabling and emotional withdraw that continues to erode the relationship. Participants will learn how a 12-step recovery plan that focuses on the principles of honesty, surrender, amends, accountability, and service can help restore positive dynamics within the marriage while also supporting autonomous growth vital to relational healing. Finally, each participant will have the opportunity to develop practical tools for trust building and communication. This workshop emphasizes personal responsibility, emotional sobriety, healthy boundaries, and spiritual growth as foundations for a resilient and healthy marriage.
Learning Objectives
Identify the impact of addiction and recovery on marriage, including common relational patterns such as codependency, enabling, and emotional withdrawal.
Outline how key 12-step principles of honesty, surrender, amends, accountability, and service and apply this to marital relationships.
Differentiate personal recovery work from marital repair, recognizing the importance of individual responsibility over fixing one’s spouse.