The fight to battle through addiction and find recovery from substance abuse can not only be difficult but an isolating, solitary process, as well. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
If the patient embraces the process and the people they encounter therein, they can learn to overcome loneliness in recovery by finding community and connection.
Entering rehab can be a distinctively isolating process. The addict going into in-patient rehab treatment is leaving behind existing social networks and support structures to go into an unknown atmosphere and environment alone and uncertain. There, they’ll face uncomfortable situations and hard decisions while separated from those who they’d naturally lean on during stressful situations.
Furthermore, the patient is going to face the hard choice of having to cut some people out of their lives if they hope to continue sober, as any associations with other addicts can make relapse more likely. Ending such connections can make the patient feel even more isolated and lonely as they work their way through recovery.
But treatment and recovery don’t have to be such lonely experiences for the patient, if they’re just willing to open up to new connections. Ending unhealthy relationships can also mean the patient can be open to making new relationships in healthier surroundings.
After all, the people the patient will encounter during treatment are also recovering addicts, with similar backgrounds and stories. They are the ones who will understand the struggles of recovery, for they will be experiencing the same things as well.
Even after rehab, the recovering addict will often still spend time around others with similar backgrounds, via ongoing group meetings and support sessions. These can serve as opportunities to create and extend healthy relationships which can help battle the inherent loneliness the patient may feel at times in the recovery process.
It is vital for the patient to engage with those around them – friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and anyone else they may interact with frequently. Not all of them will be able to support the patient’s recovery, but healthy interactions can help remind the patient they are not isolated but connected to many all around them. The patient may feel lonely but there are people around them who care about their well-being and may want to help in any way they can.
Good Landing Recovery can help patients learn how to reach out and make connections to fight against the inherent lonely side of the recovery process. With their help, patients can shed bad connections and forge newer, healthier bonds with people who can better help the patient find and maintain recovery.
Recovery doesn’t have to be so lonely. Overcoming loneliness in recovery is about finding community and connection with those around you during the process and this can better aid the patient in avoiding relapse and continuing the recovery process into a brighter future.
