What to Know When Divorcing Someone with Addiction
Divorce can be difficult enough without also having to worrying about your own safety and/or the safety of your children if you are divorcing a drug addict or alcoholic. And yet, this isn’t as rare as you might think: According to a 2013 survey, close to 25 million people are currently in a marriage which involves at least one person abusing drugs or alcohol.
If you are involved in this situation, first and foremost, you must speak with legal representation. As your attorney will advise you, documenting the addiction via mandatory testing and other incidents is crucial in order to ensure that you and/or your children are protected. You take a huge risk in deciding to speak with your addicted spouse first before speaking with an attorney, as this could end up interfering with your ability to protect both yourself and/or your children.
Divorcing an Addict When Children Are Involved
For many, seeking a divorce is the only option they have left in order to secure this protection. This is especially the case when children are involved, as they can be negatively influenced by living with an addict and the behavior that often accompanies the addiction.
Naturally, if you have children that you are concerned about, you will seek to potentially restrict the addictive spouse’s access to the children (until they have, at the very least, completed a certain amount of rehabilitation and been clean for a specific amount of time). Being able to do this includes not only documenting their addiction via drug testing, but also any evidence of problematic behavior from your spouse, including any incidents which might have been detrimental to the children and not in their best interests. Speaking with an experienced divorce attorney early on in the process can help you understand what exactly needs to be documented and how to do it while ensuring that you and your family are protected.
What you may not realize is that a divorce and/or child custody agreement can include a well-documented rehabilitation program which also requires mandatory, regular drug testing. This can help provide you with the peace of mind you need to ensure that your children are safe if and when they are in your spouse’s care.
Divorce an Addict: Texas Divorce Attorneys Who Can Help
If you are in a dangerous marital situation with an addict, do not feel guilty about seeking legal advice. This is a basic step to ensuring that you and others around you are safe. While you may want to discuss to what extent your life has changed as the result of your spouse’s addiction, and how this is affecting your family, there is no harm in being aware of what is in your best interest, legally speaking, as well.
Contact our divorce attorneys at the office of Scott M. Brown & Associates today to find out more about how we can help; we serve clients in in Angleton, Houston, Pearland, and surrounding areas of Texas.
