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Additionally, the sense of accountability to a supportive community encourages individuals to stay committed to their recovery journey. When you’re working towards sobriety while connected to a community of people who are also on their own sobriety journeys, you’re never truly alone. It’s important to remain a part of this community to help you banish feelings of loneliness. Leaving this feeling behind helps you grow closer to your goal of long-term recovery.
The 2020 Pandemic forced much of the world into isolation, taking away many of the opportunities for genuine social interactions. From workplace relationships to friendships and social relationships all the way to familial relationships, interactions were severely limited. Most people started spending less time in the presence of loneliness in sobriety others and much more time interacting through a screen. While the internet ensures that we’re connected on a basic level, the problem is that these relationships are all parasocial. Unfortunately, far too many of us are not building real relationships with real people. We’re only able to view others through the lens they choose.
What to Do If You Feel Lonely
It’s important to identify and nurture relationships that encourage positive habits and offer emotional support without judgment. Therapists or counselors specializing in addiction recovery can offer tailored support and strategies to manage loneliness and other challenges in sobriety. Family and friends can play a crucial role in providing support. Open communication about the challenges and needs of sobriety can help in creating a supportive environment at home. Loved ones who educate themselves about addiction and recovery can be invaluable in this process. Social support plays a pivotal role in the journey of sobriety.
If you’ve just come home from inpatient addiction treatment, where you were around people most of the time, you might suddenly find a normal amount of alone time rather stark. None of the people you are used to chatting with in the dining hall or rec room are around anymore. While you were using drugs or alcohol, your friend group was most likely made up of people who did the same. However, when you start an addiction recovery program or decide to stop using drugs or alcohol, you may find that the people you used to spend time with are no longer conducive to your recovery journey. Motivation is a driving force in recovery, and connection is a wellspring of inspiration. Seeing others achieve milestones, maintain sobriety, and overcome challenges becomes a powerful motivator.
How Do You Cope with Loneliness in Addiction Recovery?
If you think being sober is lonely, below are some effective ways you can cope with this feeling and change your state of mind. Try to find the balance and learn to enjoy your own company too. It can be difficult to create new friendships later in life.
- If relationships are broken beyond repair, this is the time to practice acceptance.
- The focus on gender disproportion may be attributed sampling bias, higher likelihood of women in mental health settings and clinical bias in diagnosis [109].
- If studies were unclear as to eligibility or data, and/or requests for full texts were required, we emailed the authors of the paper.
- Loneliness has taught me that I need fewer friends in my life than I thought.
- In some ways, keeping busy can ease some of the loneliness in sobriety.
- Leaving loneliness behind helps you be surrounded by people who care about you and lets you experience fellowship in a healthy and loving way.
These relationships won’t heal overnight, but it’s important to make attempts to rekindle the relationship, beginning by apologizing and taking ownership of the situation. While this might not work right away, it’s definitely a good place to begin the healing process. These relationships can help you continue to hold yourself accountable throughout your recovery journey. As mentioned, people with SUD often damage close relationships when they’re trying to hide their struggle. Whether they’re family, close friends, or even working relationships, losing these connections can be incredibly damaging for people working toward recovery.