Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert are among many couples who are reported as allegedly drink alcohol in excess. They are in the public eye, thus their interactions with one another are spotlighted by others, photographed and written about. I do not know them, what I can tell you is that as a marriage therapist who has been counseling couples for 20 years, regardless of celebrity status or not – this is not an indicator as to whether couples will drink or not drink alcohol in excess. I will also share with you that it doesn’t take a marriage therapist to know that drinking alcohol in excess, constant partying, is a threat to any marriage – celebrity couple or non celebrity couple. And yet, there are far too many couples who drink in excess and experience the destruction it causes to the couple-hood.
Star Magazine Interview With Relationship Expert Dr. Karen Ruskin
No one really knows what goes on behind closed doors in anyone’s house. Whether or not the reported allegations for this celebrity couple are true or false, this marriage and family therapist explained during an interview with Star Magazine printed in their July 8th 2013 Issue that the way a couple communicates “is severely affected in a negative way when a couple are consistently intoxicated”. In addition, I also stated during this interview that among the list of many concrete problems that destroy marriages, alcohol is indeed one of them. (Addressed in my latest book; Dr. Karen’s Marriage Manual, and during a LIVE panel discussion on HUFF Post Live).
Those who know me professionally elbowed me that I was willing to be interviewed by a “tabloid” magazine while for years I continue to be called upon by a wide range of what is considered reputable and reliable print media outlets (e.g., FOX Business, CNN, WSJ, TIME, USA Today, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, Parenting, Good Housekeeping . . .). I explained that all sources deserve therapeutic information. It is their choice if they are going to use it. It is my passion to touch the lives of others in a positive way offering reliable insightful information. Star Magazine’s writer Sarah Cordes genuinely wanted real information from a real marriage therapist. All outlets have their readers, thus I am vested in offering my help, as help comes from various places. If I touched but one life because their intention was to read “gossip”, but found themselves relating to the article to where they then sought out help, then I did exactly what it is that I do every day, and love to do.
Substance Abuse Affects
Substance abuse is a serious life challenge that impacts and dramatically affects one’s mental health and wellness, the well-being of one’s spouse, one’s marital whole, one’s children, and one’s entire family relationship dynamic.
Get Help
If you and/or your spouse are experiencing alcohol and/or other drug challenges, do not hesitate to contact your primary care physician for a referral to a specialist counselor in your area. Or, contact your mental and behavioral health care benefit’s representative for your insurance policy. They will provide you with a list of names of specialists in your area.