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And loneliness also disrupts sleep, increases anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and risk of self-harm. In general, those who struggle with loneliness are at higher risk of developing an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Some people are lonely because of their addiction, and some become addicted because of loneliness. Idle minds and hands are the devil’s playground and workshop, are sayings frequently cited by drug users as the reason for their early use. This loneliness can have real consequences for your recovery, your mental health, and even your physical health. The isolation that addiction brings can also have a profound impact on the loved ones of an addict.
Sometimes it feels like you’ve lost your best friend — your companion substance that has been there for you through recent days. You are also saying goodbye to the toxic “friendships” you formed during your addictive days. Acknowledging the loss and allowing yourself to grieve will help you move forward. Here are 5 things to try when you are feeling lonely during your recovery. Feeling isolated — particularly early in recovery — can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or shame, any of which can cause relapse. Loneliness can make people question the value of recovery, making the path to sobriety quite slippery.
How Do You Escape a Recovery Rut?
However, addiction is an incredibly lonely disease that only leads to more isolation. We are here to explore the link between loneliness and addiction and the vicious cycle they can create — and to help you choose a life of recovery. Addiction and isolation often go hand in hand, as addiction can make people feel isolated from the world. For loved ones of those suffering from addiction, this sense of isolation can be heartbreaking and difficult to deal with. At Free by the Sea, we offer comprehensive addiction treatment programs that help break the destructive cycle of addiction. Loneliness is often viewed as a negative state of existence, although some alone time is needed to recharge.
Addiction is a disease and it’s important to remember that addiction is not a choice. Mental illnesses can be isolating, even under the best circumstances. Sometimes, your symptoms won’t let you get out of bed, so seeking out companionship is totally out of the question.
The Effects of Addiction and Isolation on Loved Ones
At New Leaf Detox and Treatment, we view every client as an individual with a life story and a meta-narrative. In our clinical encounters with clients, we lean into their stories and narratives, about who they were before they fell down the rabbit hole of addiction, about their families, their communities, their social supports. We work with them to uncover what and who gives their lives meaning, and we journey with them as they work to turn over a new leaf. Several pioneering rat studies have shown the relationship between substance use and peer relationship, most famously the seminal Rat Park experiment in the 1970s by Dr. Bruce Alexander. Prior experiments had already shown that caged rats in solitary confinement, when offered the choice between bottles holding water and heroin or cocaine, repeatedly chose the drug-infused bottles until they died of overdoses.
But when paired with co-morbidities, or multiple health conditions occurring simultaneously within one person, it is cause for alarm. Loneliness is a serious epidemic that is overshadowed in the modern world. According to a recent survey, nearly 75% of Americans are lonely, and Forbes reports show that the number of lonely people has tripled in the last four decades.
Start the road to recovery
Another important thing to remember about loneliness is that it’s really just in your head. Being alone can also be an opportunity to do some things you can’t do when other people are around. It may loneliness in recovery be a chance for you to read, write, meditate, create, listen to music, and think about your values and priorities. People are often surprised how much harder it is to make friends as an adult.
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