Addiction can ruin your relationships and make you feel lonely and isolated. Luckily, being with like-minded people can help you avoid this sense of isolation and discover fun sober activities instead, making maintaining your sobriety easier. Having a community around you can also help you stay accountable, boost your confidence, and help you rediscover yourself. You weren’t meant to live or recover alone. Being in a healthy, supportive community can help you avoid relapse and live a life free of addiction.
How Community Benefits The Recovery Process
Research shows that having access to social communities and supportive groups can help reduce the risk of relapse after treatment. Many behavioral health experts and addiction specialists have also discovered a connection between addiction and loneliness.
British journalist and author Johann Hari states that “the opposite of addiction isn’t [just] sobriety. It’s connection.” Here’s how.
1. Community Provides Support In Between Treatment Sessions
Recovery, like many other aspects of life, includes ups and downs. You might feel supported and on-track after a great counseling session, but anxious, overwhelmed, and doubtful the next day. Having a supportive group of people around you can help lift your spirits in between counseling sessions and outpatient treatment. Being in a community can also encourage you when you’re feeling apathetic and unmotivated. Knowing that people are counting on you to “show up” can be the difference between purpose and hopelessness and relapse and sobriety.
2. Community Helps Rebuild Social Skills
Rehabilitating your life means relearning how to have healthy, meaningful interactions and relationships. Being a part of a community can help you learn how to:
- Listen well
- Show empathy
- Resolve conflict
- Read “social cues”
- Connect with others
- Express your feelings
- Have healthy conversations
Learning these skills can help prepare you for everyday life at work, home, or school.
3. Community Decreases Isolation
Feeling lonely can make you want to use substances to cope with the pain and discomfort of isolation. Luckily, a community can help combat loneliness. Spending time with people that have similar struggles and goals can help you feel like you belong, which can make the recovery process more comfortable for you. Being in a community can also help you find new, like-minded friends. Similarly, having a group of people that “get you” can help boost your self-esteem and confidence.
4. Community Promotes Joyful, Healthy Social Interaction
Surrounding yourself with sober individuals allows you to participate in healthy social interactions such as hiking, camping, going out, or sharing meals together. Having meaningful conversations and building deep connections with a supportive group of friends can help provide you a sturdy foundation for on-going recovery. This kind of community can also show you that you can have fun without using substances.
5. Community Can Help Inspire You To Live Healthier
Being in a supportive community with others can inspire you to live healthier. Seeing a friend begin a balanced diet, for example, can motivate you to eat nutritiously. You can also start exercising with people in your community. Developing healthier relationships in recovery can help improve your wellbeing from the inside out.
A Community That Cares About Your Recovery
Here at Soba Recovery, we truly care about your recovery. We don’t want you to feel isolated or alone. Our treatment model can provide you with a unique recovery experience tailored to meet your individual needs—including your social needs. Contact us today if you’re looking for a rehabilitation center that cares about your physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.