If this past year has taught us anything, it’s that human interaction is an essential component of our existence. Being able to communicate and interact with friends and family is almost as important as breathing air and eating food.
Genuine human connection has the power to provide the soul with the nourishment it needs to feel complete, enabling us to engage and build our spiritual strength through connectivity. After all, humans are wired to be together in shared spaces, learning from each other and sharing existential moments of enlightenment and illumination.
That’s why, when in addiction recovery or currently struggling with a substance use disorder, every day can feel so much more oppressive when you isolate yourself or are forced to avoid interacting with your support network for any reason.
Addiction, like any other disease, is best treated when you have a strong level of support and encouragement from those you respect and love the most.
Making sure you engage with your friends and family as often as possible throughout your addiction recovery journey is essential in overcoming your addiction and achieving sustained health and happiness.
What Substance Abuse Does to Your Emotional and Mental Health
It’s no secret that substance addiction and mental health issues are closely connected. For many people struggling with a substance use disorder, it’s common to incorporate drugs and alcohol as a means of dealing with the symptoms of mental health issues.
Vice versa, someone who has found themselves dealing with negative emotions — like excessive depression or anxiety — can often turn to substance use as a method of self-medicating to avoid symptoms they’re experiencing.
That’s because substance addiction is a neurological issue, affecting your mental state and overall functionality in the reward and pleasure centers of your brain. Everyday activities can trigger these same reward pathways, like exercising or interacting with the ones you love.
But when you’re living with a diagnosed substance use disorder, you’re distorting this brain function, causing your neurological synapses to fire erratically and making your overall mental health extremely unstable.
The Importance of Human Connection in Addiction Treatment and Recovery
It’s common to define yourself by the company you keep, which is why building a strong sober network to support the different elements of your life is essential throughout the recovery process. To achieve sustained sobriety, ongoing support from your friends and family is paramount.
You see, individuals are more likely to try drugs as an escape if they live in a negative environment and consistently engage with negative social influences. However, removing yourself from that negative situation and surrounding yourself with healthy, sober supporters make it more likely to achieve sustained sobriety along your recovery journey.
- Positive social interactions are instrumental in helping you maintain abstinence from alcohol and drug use.
- In isolation you’re always more susceptible to relapse, and you may even end up quitting your treatment program before completing all established goals.
- It’s important to remember that your personal relationships play a large role in your overall wellness and quality of life.
While substance addiction decreases your health and happiness, research has shown that positive human connectivity can help improve your overall existence.
In Addiction Recovery, Lean on a Strong Sober Support Network
What is a sober support network?
Your sober support network consists of the social connections you make during your recovery journey. They’re the friends and loved ones you spend time with and turn to in order to maintain healthy human connectivity. The key is to choose individuals who are supremely supportive of your efforts to achieve sobriety and maintain your substance abstinence.
How can you form a healthy sober support network that delivers encouraging human connection and boosts your emotional and mental health?
It’s important to choose people who encourage your growth and development throughout the recovery journey. They can be family members who’ve stood by you before your recovery began or peer supports you met during your time in treatment. They can be friends who’ve taken steps to show you love and support throughout your path to sobriety or loved ones who hold you accountable in an appropriate way.
How can you walk away from friends or family members who are hurting your recovery efforts?
Sometimes, it really is as simple as making the decision to distance yourself from unhealthy influences. If you know there are family or friends who bring a toxic element into your life, let them know you’re committed to achieving a better version of yourself through recovery. If they’re not going to fully support those efforts, let them know they can no longer be a part of your recovery journey.
How to build a sober support network from scratch:
Start with the connections you make during your time in treatment. Clinical counselors can provide insight into community-based support networks. These can turn into healthy human connections and sober peers that can become the foundation of your new social group and support network.
Find Real Human Connection During Holistic Addiction Treatment
At Ranch Creek Recovery, we fully understand that trusting someone doesn’t come easy to a person struggling with addiction. That’s why we strive to let our clients know they’re worthy of excellent care because each is a unique and deserving human being.
Our holistic recovery programs, including dual diagnosis disorder treatment, are designed to treat each and every aspect of an addiction.
In addition, we tailor our programs to each and every individual. This helps us earn your trust and establish a relationship that helps you achieve sobriety and begin your path toward long-term health and happiness.
Learn more about what we offer and what we treat.
Contact us today to get your questions answered.
