Dealing with Loneliness During Recovery
Addiction recovery is a life-long affair. It is a process that requires you to make drastic life changes and decisions while working towards sobriety.
However, this process is different for everyone. Some people have family and friends with them through thick and thin. On the other hand, some people only have themselves and their determination.
Gradually, every recovering person starts to feel lonely even when they have moral support. There’s no getting around it – loneliness is part of recovery.
Unfortunately, this can discourage anyone who is trying to amend their lifestyle. Such people can slowly slip back to old habits, like isolation or drug abuse. They could also face difficulty in coping with loneliness and addiction.
Among other things, this article provides tips and strategies to overcome loneliness and addiction.
Loneliness and Addiction
Addiction sometimes happens when people try to use alcohol to drown feelings of depression or loneliness. But, over time, you would get used to being drunk and dependent on alcohol or drugs. So, each time you feel sad, you would be inclined to have a drink.
Addiction is hard to break. When people become addicted to alcohol, they find little interest in anything else, including their social relationships. So, they often prefer to isolate themselves. After the alcohol wears off, such people will start to feel lonely. And they may drink even further to numb the feeling.
Take back control of your life and start on the road to recovery now.
How to Cope with Loneliness During Addiction Recovery
Addiction recovery can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be. You will find it easier to deal with loneliness and addiction when you do the following:
- Have ConfidencePeople in recovery may find it hard to build new relationships with others. This is sometimes because they feel ashamed of their past addiction. Shame can affect your mental health and make you feel lonely. Instead, always remind yourself of how far you have come in dealing with your addiction. It doesn’t matter if you have been sober for a month or just a week. You are making progress, and that’s all that matters.Being confident will help you relate easily with other people in the society. You will also find it easier to make new friends and reconnect with the community.
- Be FocusedYou also have to determine what your focus is. Do you want to have a sober lifestyle or do you just want your old job back? Focusing on the long-term goal of sober living will help your mind stay strong. You will be more inclined to learn how to manage your life and take your treatment seriously.
- Be Open To LoveLonely people usually feel better when they receive love and attention from others. However, you must give love to get love. Meanwhile, you can’t give what you don’t have. So, if you want your relationships to be more loving, you must first love yourself. You should also express your love and care to others.This applies to any kind of relationship, not just romantic ones. Little acts of kindness can go a long way in assuring another person you care. It will also make people feel good to be around you.
- Find a Supportive CommunityWhen people try to achieve sobriety and fail, they often get depressed or they could isolate themselves. One of the ways to handle loneliness and addiction during recovery is to surround yourself with a supportive community.Alcohol addiction treatment or programs often provide peer-to-peer interaction during recovery. These programs are essential opportunities for learning social interaction. You can make new friends and share your fears in a safe environment. You will most likely find a couple of people going through the same things who will encourage you.
Easy Steps to Avoid Loneliness During Recovery
- Acknowledge and accept your emotionsYou must acknowledge to yourself what your feelings are. You must also accept that your feelings are normal and things will get better. Doing this will put you in a good mental state and help your emotional health.
- Take the opportunity to learn about yourselfKeeping your mind occupied can also help you to overcome feelings of loneliness. You could learn more about the new person you have become in your spare time. This is positive self-reflection. You are not to take note of your imperfections, just your interests and things you may enjoy doing.
- Take time to enjoy your favorite thingsAddiction often makes people lose interest in anything apart from the drugs or substances they are using. This means that you can lose interest in your favorite things. And this can cause loneliness. Instead of doing things that can fuel your addiction, you should take up your old interests. You can participate in your favorite sports, read a book, watch a movie, or take a short stroll.
- Explore your cityThere are places you haven’t visited in your city or places you haven’t been in a while. So, create some time to explore and make new memories.
- Reconnect with old friendsWhen people become overwhelmed with loneliness, they may feel inclined to call on old friends. It’s okay to reach out to old friends and make amends where necessary. As long as they support your sobriety, such relationships can help improve your mental health. It is crucial that you stay away from friends who could use drugs or abuse other substances. This is because they can encourage your addiction.
- Learn a skillAnother way to spend your time is by learning a digital skill. This could even make you some extra cash!
- Take on a new hobbyYou should do your best avoid being idle. Idleness can increase feels of loneliness and worsen your addiction problems. So, you should take on activities that will keep your mind away from abusing substances. You should also pick up new hobbies if your old hobbies could put your sobriety in danger.
- Participate in group therapyYou could feel much better when sharing your feelings in a safe space. Treatment centers are good examples of safe spaces. At the very least, you may get some advice from someone who has gone through the same situation. Group participation can also help alleviate loneliness and make it easier to deal with addiction.
- Spend time with othersDon’t shy away from making new friends or spending time with positive old ones. You will get to share a laugh or two.
- Avoid spending too much time on social mediaSocial media sometimes presents perfect pictures that can make you feel sad about your progress or feel lonely. Instead, look for positive content and interact with people in your immediate environment. This will help to reduce feelings of loneliness.
This can be a difficult journey, but you don’t have to go it alone. Let us be your guide and provide you the environment needed to regain control of your life and begin the path to recovery.
Conclusion
Loneliness is one of the hurdles you have to scale over while recovering from addiction. Therefore, it’s better to know what to do when the feeling starts creeping in. Meanwhile, you should stay connected to a robust support and treatment system.
At ecosoberhouse.com, your comfort is a priority. We will give you as much support and help as you need to help you cope with addiction. So get in touch with us to help yourself or your loved ones.
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