Why Addicts Are Often Lonely People

Addiction is an incredibly lonely disease. However, we typically associate addicts with two extremes when it comes to sociability. On the one hand we imagine the stereotypical “life of the party” who abuses substances to become sociable, friendly, and functional, or we have the depressive addict who takes substances alone, substituting healthy interpersonal relationships for chemicals. The truth is that most addicts may fall somewhere along this spectrum, but they all experience extreme feelings of isolation. As anyone who has suffered from addiction can vouch for, having a crippling reliance on substances can stem from feelings of isolation, depression, and anxiety. The problem with substances is that they typically only exacerbate these problems in the long run. A developing addiction leads to the addict becoming withdrawn, remote, and emotionally distant. As addiction progresses, it’s not uncommon for addicts to damage relationships, lose the support of family and friends, and spiral into a lonely existence centered around substance use. Self Medication We all experience occasional feelings of anxiety, loneliness, or unhappiness, but when those feelings last for prolonged periods of time we often find ourselves searching for something to ease the pain or lighten the burden. Self medicating is a method that people may choose to handle these feelings with. Drugs and alcohol are popular self medication tools because they temporarily distract us from the pain we are ex...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Addiction Alcoholism Communication Family Friends Recovery Substance Abuse Treatment Loneliness self medicating Social Isolation Social Withdrawal Source Type: blogs