Most dealers will allow people to get into thousands of debt before they will start to pressure them for money.. They know that they will always get it back one way or another. Usually they are satisfied with getting paid bit by bit.
The scary bit is when they start using various dealers, and maybe owe a few thousand to each of them. Then if the addict can’t pay back the debt, the dealer will usually start threatening to demand their family members or partner to pay the money. Then the addict will usually try frantically to find any other means of payment. Dealers usually just work with cash so is it possible your husband is taking out extra credit cards and making cash withdrawals?