Do you feel like a loner, hermit, or lone wolf these days? Ironically, you’re not alone in having these feelings. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 1 in 6 people worldwide are currently experiencing loneliness and social isolation. As social isolation becomes more widespread, it leads to a whole host of health challenges. And among those, social isolation and addiction are often interconnected.
The Link Between Social Isolation and Addiction
Your struggle with social isolation can leave you vulnerable to potential substance abuse and addiction. But how? The definition of social isolation includes a lack of social and emotional support. That means it can be incredibly difficult to cope with negative feelings and situations on your own when you’re isolated.
If you do have community, your friends and family in many ways provide a natural — and vital — support system for you to get through hard times. You don’t have to go it alone with others in your corner.
But if you’re socially isolated, you won’t have this natural support system in place. When negative feelings (including loneliness) arise, it’s easy to seek out substances like drugs or alcohol to cope. And when you don’t have anyone around to keep you accountable or point out problematic behavior, your continued self-medication can lead to addiction.
Once this happens, you’re doubly struggling with addiction and isolation together. At this point, both internalized shame and the stigma of addiction can keep you isolated and prevent you from getting help.
Cause and Effect: Addiction and Isolation
On the other hand, social isolation is also a typical symptom of addiction. As you become addicted to a substance, your addiction consumes your life. Relationships you once prioritized and enjoyed take a back seat to your substance abuse. You start missing out on activities with family and friends, and even your favorite hobbies are no longer meaningful.
Social isolation is also one of the main addiction triggers that can lead to relapse once you’re in recovery. As you were so used to socially isolating yourself during your substance abuse, experiencing it again can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms and cravings.
Signs That You’re About to Isolate for Addicts
It’s possible to have solitude and live alone without socially isolating yourself. In fact, some regular alone time can help rejuvenate you, especially if you’re introverted. However, if you’re trying to overcome substance abuse, isolating yourself won’t help. Isolation and addiction will feed off each other, making your situation worse.
So what does social isolation look like? Here are some common social isolation symptoms and signs:
- Avoiding social interactions, especially those you previously enjoyed
- Feeling distressed during stretches of solitude
- Feeling dread about social activities
- Regularly canceling plans and feeling relief when you do so
- Experiencing anxiety or panic when thinking about social interactions
- Spending sizeable time alone
- Experiencing extremely limited contact with others
SOURCE: Tulane University
If you’re beginning to isolate yourself while abusing substances, you may display many of the general social isolation traits above. Yet there are other telltale signs that you’re about to isolate for addicts, too, such as:
- Feeling like you’re better off alone
- Feeling overwhelmed and stressed with everyday demands
- Shutting off connection with friends and family to cope with negative feelings
- Devoting increased time and energy to obtain and use substances, at the expense of others
- Experiencing boredom and loneliness
- Keeping secrets from others (such as your substance use struggles)
What To Do If You’re Dealing with Isolation and Addiction
Suffering from social isolation and addiction can be debilitating. In time, it can lead you to develop co-occurring mental health disorders like anxiety or depression. If you’re seeing the signs of addiction in isolation in your life, however, you can take steps to free yourself from these struggles, including:
- Confide in friends or family: When you’re communicating with others, you’re no longer in isolation. Make it a point to open up about your issues with loved ones you trust as a first step.
- Find healthy outlets: Self-care is critical in addiction recovery. Part of self-care includes pursuing activities and hobbies you enjoy—especially those that get you around people. Consider joining a gym, taking a class, or grabbing coffee with a sober friend.
- Join a support group: Overcoming addiction and isolation requires support from peers. Joining and regularly attending an addiction support group can ensure you’re seen, heard, and encouraged by people who know what it’s like to be in your shoes.
- Seek professional treatment: If you’re dealing with isolation and addiction, you absolutely need to seek help from a professional addiction treatment center. Getting treatment helps you heal from the root causes of your struggles so you can finally reclaim your life. You simply can’t move on from isolation and addiction on your own.
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment in New England
If you’ve found yourself struggling with substance abuse and addiction — whether you’re socially isolated or not — we can help at Sana at Stowe. Our New England-based treatment center provides holistic, compassionate drug and alcohol addiction treatment for those looking to reclaim their lives.
Not only do we address the root causes of your struggles, we also equip you with healthy self soothing techniques you can use to stay the course in your sobriety. To start your recovery alongside a community of people ready to support you, call us today.
