Husband Addicted to Drugs — Your Rights & Options in Pakistan

How Addiction Affects the Family

• Financial devastation — money spent on drugs instead of family needs
• Violence — substance abuse significantly increases risk of domestic violence
• Neglect of children — creating grounds for custody change
• Unpredictable, dangerous home environment
• Emotional abuse during highs and lows

Your Legal Options

• Maintenance: His addiction does not remove his legal obligation to maintain you and children — file for court-ordered maintenance
• Khula grounds: Drug or alcohol addiction is explicitly recognised as grounds for divorce/khula in Pakistani family courts under "cruelty" and "failure to maintain"
• Child custody: Courts routinely grant custody to the sober parent — document his addiction for court evidence
• Protection Order: If there is violence, apply immediately for a Protection Order — courts take addiction-related violence seriously

Getting Him Help — If You Want To

Rehabilitation is available in Pakistan. You cannot force an adult to get help — but you can create conditions that make staying in the marriage conditional on treatment:

• Willing to Change Helpline: 0800-45454 (national addiction helpline)
• Drug Abuse Cell (Karachi): 021-9921111
• Pakistan Psychiatric Society (find psychiatrists): pps.com.pk
• Government rehabilitation centres in all major cities — free of charge
• A family intervention with a counsellor can be arranged through Rozan: 051-2890505

Protecting Your Children

• Document everything: dates, incidents, your children's reactions
• Speak to a teacher or doctor who has observed the children — their professional observations matter in court
• If children are in immediate danger: take them to safety first, contact a lawyer second
• Courts prioritise children's welfare — an addicted father rarely gets primary custody