Social Isolation During Recovery

There are days when I find it challenging to write about addiction and recovery. Much has been written on this topic, so when I started writing, I decided to only write from the heart. What I think about addiction and recovery based on my personal and professional experiences. I cannot say with any degree of certainty that I know what each of you is going through or what is best for you in recovery. I can only share what worked for me and maybe even what is not working. 

Today I will share something that I know does not work in recovery. That something is social isolation.

Actually, social isolation does not work in anything we do. As humans, we were designed to be social. Back in the day would we hunt together, build communities together, and help to care for others and their children. We need people and we need this social interaction for our mental and physical health.

I have one example I can share with you. During the pandemic, my mother could not socialize for many months. As an extremely social individual, she became very depressed and over time she started to develop physical problems. Was there a connection between these illnesses she developed and her social isolation? Possibly. Who can say for sure. I just know what I observed.

In terms of addiction recovery, I would say with some degree of certainty that social isolation is not healthy nor recommended. I know there are certain days that you just want to be left alone to be with your thoughts and feelings, and I get that.

But extended isolation from others might just set you up for relapse.

As part of my recovery, I focus on interacting and socializing with others. This can take many forms including meetings, groups, or just hanging out with friends and family. 

And if time does not permit some interaction socially, I might just go to a coffee shop and watch others or go to the grocery store and interact with others there. Being with others and seeing individuals act in their day-to-day activities, actually helps me stay focused and somewhat grounded.

If one were to look at their recovery, I would guess that one does feel better when socially active. 

Many mental health disorders have a social component to the onset, duration, and treatment of that disorder. Being social is important to our health in recovery. It can lessen depression and anxious thinking, it can help us to see ourselves in a different light, and it can increase our focus.

I hope that during your recovery you find many opportunities to be social and to interact with others. You just might feel better!