You might feel the loneliest during recovery, so it’s essential to address these feelings. Understand that loneliness is more than just a lack of companionship; it’s a deep-seated emotional state. Others might find that they feel lonelier after spending a long time scrolling through social media,” says Delfeld. Engaging in a hobby that fuels productivity and creativity is often helpful at preventing loneliness in sobriety. The time that is spent writing, painting or rebuilding a car, can be stress-relieving and make the lonely hours of the day go by a little faster.
- Once in recovery, without the crutch of drugs and/or alcohol and the people one used them with, the newly clean and sober person may feel lonely.
- These experiences can be discouraging and threaten yourrecovery goals.
- Often, as the person tries to hide substance use from loved ones or minimize the way it has affected their life, they can fall deeper into substance use.
- Joining a support system or finding like-minded people in recovery may offer new opportunities to forge healthy, lasting friendships.
- This feeling comes up as you adjust to not drinking or using drugs and explore life without them.
How to Cope With Loneliness in Recovery
- I had rather low self-esteem when I first gave up alcohol.
- But if you keep going to meetings, don’t act like a jerk (just be yourself and be nice), you will make great friends … no matter how young or old you are.
- Eating well, exercise and sleep are all central to feeling good and enhancing your mood.
- And we learn to keep ourselves occupied – solo – for hours on end, without the need for connection and reassurance from parents or caregivers.
- The only time I was able to get out of my head was when I was good-n-drunk.
In times when feelings of loneliness become too strong to deal with, you may be experiencing a depressive episode. Depression is not uncommon in early recovery, so you shouldn’t ignore the symptoms. Although, loneliness is a negative emotion brought on from a lack of connection in your life; not feeling understood or feeling heard. Don’t minimise or dismiss it as loneliness creates the space needed to explore what it is you are missing, so you can build loneliness in sobriety a better more fulfilling life. One of the first things that helped me in early sobriety was listening to sober podcasts.
Reducing the Risk of Relapse
If you’re seeking help for yourself or a loved one, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way. This pervasive pain seems to really be in response to an innate longing for validation, a strong self-image, and confidence in your life calling or purpose. These needs can be met through journeys of introspection, therapy, meditation, religion, self-expression, pursuing your passions, and/or building a stable support system. It’s a common misconception that crowded spaces eliminate loneliness.
- Yoga, for instance, is an excellent way to manage stress and anxiety.
- At Great Oaks Recovery Center outside of Houston, Texas, we offer both vibrant alumni programs and the CaredFor app to keep you in touch with people as dedicated to sobriety as you are.
- Physical distancing has compounded this isolation since the pandemic.
- It can be difficult to create new friendships later in life.
Why Are We So Lonely in the Information Age?
The best place to find these types of social opportunities is online. Neighborhoods often have groups on social media sites like Facebook or sites like Nextdoor. When you see any kind of announcement for any kind of social event, go participate. Most neighborhoods have events on all the public holidays. Eating well, exercise and sleep are all central to feeling good and enhancing your mood.
Positive Reinforcement
You can build a meaningful life in recovery with these strategies. Isolation can be a difficult part of recovering from addiction. Follow the tips outlined in this article to start overcoming extreme isolation and loneliness. I realize communicating with people online isn’t as fulfilling as in-person, but can help the loneliness. There are discussion forums for every conceivable topic/activity. You can join forums that deal with a hobby you do, or a business you’re part of, a sport … you name it there’s a forum dedicated to it.
Was there anything that made you lose track of time or that was a crucial component in how you identify yourself today? This new space in your life could be the perfect conditions for getting to truly know and love yourself. Last, it’s important to consider what one of the world’s most crucial resources for recovery has to say about loneliness. The Big Book is the book that’s used to guide Alcoholics Anonymous, and it has many things to say about loneliness. First, it’s important to accept the things you’ve done rather than hide from them. The thing that drove you to use substances in the first place – avoidance – only exacerbated SUD.
They will be grateful for the https://ecosoberhouse.com/ help and it’s a great way to meet new people. It can be anything, rambling group, book club, yoga, church, AA, anything goes. Given all of this, it is a good idea to have a plan for staving of those feelings of loneliness. So now you know, loneliness has a positive function as it provides space for us to self-evaluate our needs. However, you also know to watch out for the dangers of loneliness because if left to fester, loneliness can lead to depression, shame, low self-esteem, further isolation, then relapse.