September 16, 2022

Studies have shown that loneliness is linked to a greater likelihood of high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and psychological distress. If you’re feeling lonely in recovery, here are some suggestions for what to do about it. Feelings of loneliness or boredom can compound substance abuse.

loneliness in sobriety

Reach out to the people you’ve wronged and who you want back in your life. The best way to beat loneliness is obviously to have regular social connections. For people in recovery, that often means attending regular 1Step or other mutual-aid meetings.

Coping With Loneliness and Isolation in Sobriety

In the journey of sobriety, self-care and personal growth are not just beneficial; they are essential. They play a significant role in combating loneliness and fostering a sense of fulfillment and purpose in life. Finally, the relationship with oneself is the foundation of all other relationships. Engaging in self-improvement activities, whether it’s through fitness, education, or spiritual practices, can improve self-esteem and personal wellbeing, making you a better friend, partner, or family member. Loneliness used to be regarded as a purely personal problem.

  • A standardized data extraction form was developed and employed to gather relevant information on study characteristics and key relevant findings (See Supplementary Tables 2-9).
  • Reach out to the people you’ve wronged and who you want back in your life.
  • Finding or creating a network of individuals who share similar values and lifestyles can provide a sense of belonging and mutual support.
  • Under the current quarantine, we’ve all been reminded several times that Shakespeare wrote King Lear while under quarantine from one plague and Newton invented calculus while exiled from another plague.

The federal government has taken no initiatives on this epidemic yet. At Gateway Foundation, we understand the importance of community and peer support. During your personalized addiction treatment program, you are surrounded by our friendly team and others battling addiction in a safe and supportive care environment.

Tips to Help You Fight Loneliness in Sobriety

It involves being honest about one’s feelings and struggles with trusted individuals. Sharing one’s journey with others who understand can create a sense of belonging and reduce feelings of isolation. When I started my journey of recovery from alcoholism, I was determined to stay on a positive life path despite not knowing how to cope with loneliness in recovery. I also knew that if I wanted to make real and lasting changes, it would take dedication and hard work. So, in order to help me stay focused, I adopted the acronym HALT – Never get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. This was a reminder for me to stop and think before acting whenever these emotions threatened to overwhelm me.

  • That’s because parasocial relationships can leave most people feeling unfulfilled.
  • SI developed the review protocol in collaboration with SJ, AP, EP and lived experience group.
  • Moses was not the only person to witness the actor’s dark side.

It’s common to have a bit of an identity crisis after getting sober because you’ve also had to say goodbye to the person you were while using. Socialization plays a crucial role in our physical and mental well-being. For those who are in recovery, a lack of socialization can lead to relapse.

Not a People Person?

It is possible that their drug or alcohol abuse may make them even lonelier than ever. Deep feelings of sadness, anxiety, exclusion, or invalidation can take a substantial toll on people’s health. They also increase the risk of individuals engaging in coping mechanisms that are ultimately very harmful to them. This is proof that you should take loneliness seriously and that you should find a substance abuse helpline if it’s led to something like an addiction. This suggestion is for people thinking about getting sober and don’t want to do so on your own.

  • These groups provide a space where individuals can share their experiences and challenges without fear of judgment.
  • We conducted quality appraisals using the Joanna Briggs Critical appraisal tools and rated the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.
  • Finding interests outside of substance use can help you deal with issues of loneliness in more than one way.
  • It was a simple but powerful tool in my recovery journey that kept me grounded and focused on the future.
  • These activities not only foster a sense of purpose and fulfillment but also provide opportunities to meet diverse people outside of one’s usual social circle.

We gained lived experience input into the formulation of our research question, design of our search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria, search strategy, review protocol, and reporting of findings. We pre-registered the study protocol on PROSPERO for transparency. These findings illustrate that factors beyond objective social isolation, social network features and social functioning contribute to loneliness in sobriety the intense loneliness experienced. A systematic review of longitudinal studies examining the relationship between loneliness/PSS and mental health found that loneliness/PSS predicted poorer depression outcomes in terms of recovery and symptoms [6]. The main outcomes of interest were prevalence and severity of loneliness and deficits in PSS among people with ‘personality disorder’ diagnoses/traits.

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