Loneliness and Isolation Provide a Playground for the Disease

Loneliness and Isolation Provide a Playground for the Disease
In recovery, we often find a sense of loneliness and isolation blowing up our barometers as we attempt to navigate harsh weather and holidays and as we hear reference to phenomena like SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). While it is crucial to surround ourselves with friends, family, and networks who will support us in our sobriety, it’s just as important to learn how to overcome the inevitable feelings of loneliness that are part of the weather map, the big picture.
Loneliness, or even boredom, can compound substance use. We are tempted to abuse substances to cope with feeling isolated from friends, family members or society in general. While these feelings are woven into the fabric of the process, loneliness and boredom do not have to be permanent. There are many ways to contend with these feelings, the first of which is to recognize that we are not alone in experiencing them.
While using drugs or alcohol, our friend group was most likely made up of people who did the same, individuals with a substance use disorder. However, when we began an addiction recovery program or decided to stop using drugs or alcohol, we found that the people we used to spend time with were no longer conducive to our healing journey.
Whether you are a parent, guardian or loved one needing community, joining a support system, such as TriCircle’s Hope & Support or Hope After Loss groups, or finding like-minded people in recovery, such as those playing Setback on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, may offer new opportunities to forge healthy, lasting friendships.
The array of emotions we experience, from minute to minute, on a daily basis, can be overwhelming at best. These feelings have the potential to increase our likelihood of relapse so it becomes essential to find ways to overcome, avoid or simply distract ourselves from them. The roller coaster is real!
If we are to succeed, we must stop staring and focus elsewhere. These tips were published in an article written in a Baart Programs, November 2020 Newsletter, called “7 Ways to Battle Loneliness in Recovery.”
  1. Restore your relationships. Rebuilding your relationships with supportive family members may help you battle feelings of loneliness and reattach you to an essential social circle.
  2. Take a class or join a club. Taking a class or joining a club are excellent ways to get out of the house and meet new people.
  3. Connect with yourself. There are numerous ways to connect with yourself daily. These include talking to yourself, keeping a journal to document your thoughts, learning to enjoy solitude or meditating for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Confront and accept your emotions. To deal with and overcome your feelings of loneliness, you must confront them.
  5. Take yourself out to dinner. Being alone doesn’t mean that you have to be lonely. Solo dining is not uncommon. It’s a great way to enjoy your meal rather than focusing on conversation.
  6. Exercise. Exercise releases dopamine and endorphins to flood your body and brain with positive feelings.
  7. Avoid excess time spent on social media. A study published in the American Journal for Preventative Medicine suggests that people who spend more time on social media may experience heightened feeling of social isolation.
I would also add, read a good book that transports you to another place and time, connect with nature, it is incredibly healing, listen to a podcast or YouTube video that helps you center, develop your passion and purpose around the cause, so many need your valuable experience and guidance along the way! Sometimes, we just have to sit in our discomfort for a spell, so get used to it! After all, every one of us is perfectly imperfect, essential to the equation, and yes, lonely at times, but always remember, we are in this together and…
Together WE are Stronger!
(Originally published in the September 2022 Newsletter)