My Husband Went to Rehab

Rosie and Steve were caught selling drugs, and both wound up in prison. On release, Steve completed residential rehabilitation for ice addiction treatment with the Hader Clinic Queensland. Here is Rosie’s story. 

I’m Rosie – Steve’s wife. I’ve been with Steve for more of my life, than not. We met when I was 16 and we’ve been together for the better part of thirty-one years. We’ve just celebrated our 28^th wedding anniversary this past weekend.

When Steve went to rehab, it was really the first time in our relationship that we hadn’t been together. It was tough, but ultimately, Steve going to rehab was the best thing for him, and for us.

Steve’s eight years older than me. We met through friends. I had a nine-month-old son at the time. We were together for three months when we moved in together. Then after three years, we got married.

We both were into marijuana – and smoked it on and off for a few years. He was dabbling in other things, but not constantly.

Things really escalated when a few years ago when his mother passed away. I believe that’s what triggered his descent into using ice. He also started having health issues and got the sack from his employer which did little to help him. He’s still waiting on surgery to fix the brain aneurysm that the weed and ice likely caused.

Steve being freshly unemployed at the beginning of the COVID pandemic wasn’t great, then I was also made redundant from my job. Panicked, we turned to selling drugs to keep our heads above water, plus this was a way of feeding Steve’s addiction. Unfortunately, this led us into some trouble with the law.

The police were tracking Steve’s phone. When we got raided, we both got thrown into jail I was in there for a month. I had to get my kids to get me bailed. Steve was in there for three months and a condition of his bail was that he had to go to rehab for six months.

When I got out, I was relieved. It was horrifying, however, not quite as bad as they make out about it in the movies. It’s not somewhere you really want to be. There’s no rehabilitation. The jail staff treat you horribly, actually. You grow up having a lot of respect for the law, but when they put you in there, they just treat you like shit. So, you lose that respect. There should be more help, more rehabilitation for prisoners. Basically, they just sit there and let you rot.

When Steve attended residential addiction treatment, it was hard. We weren’t allowed to see, or communicate with each other for two weeks. We had never been apart. Then when I could go to the rehab to see him, it was only once a week, which was also tough. But we got there in the end.

In rehab, I could see Steve changing, becoming the Steve that I knew, loved and had married. I was still smoking weed at night to help me sleep, and to cope with all the stress of him being away.

Now he’s home, I worked out quickly that I didn’t need it, so that was it.

Steve started changing the moment he left jail. He was home two nights before he had to go off to rehab.

These days, we’re doing better, but life isn’t without its challenges. Our stuff is still going through the courts, Steve is still suffering with major headaches from his condition so there are some days where he feels quite depressed. He doesn’t want to use painkillers, due to all the shit that has come before. He can’t wait to have surgery to sort things out. He gets a bit worried because he currently cannot work at the moment, but we are taking things one day at a time. I am back working full time though and have been for the last couple of months.

Steve goes to meetings a few times each week and reads his books daily, which is really helpful when he’s feeling down about being home and unemployed. He has been given all the tools to succeed, so I guess it is good practice. I do know how he feels, because when I was unemployed, I’d sit at home and feel so lost sometimes.

The best advice that we can give to others is to use the tools that are provided in rehab. They keep you on the straight and narrow. The other bit of advice I have is to close the door on all those old contacts. New friends are really the best.

Thanks to the Hader Clinic Queensland for giving me back the husband I know and love.