How to Cope With Loneliness in Recovery Mental & Emotional Alcoholics Anonymous Cleveland

Interestingly, as someone who meditates, we call doing nothing “meditating” as opposed to boredom. People who formally meditate, choose to do nothing — they just sit there, in observation of breathing, thinking, feeling. You don’t have to go to a gym to stay fit—you can find many exercises online and do them from home. Yoga, for instance, is an excellent way to manage stress and anxiety. Loneliness is contributing factor to AUD/SUD, and loneliness is often an outcome of initiating treatment and recovery from AUD/SUD. We are dedicated to providing you with the support and healing you deserve.

Identifying triggers

• First, know that experiencing triggers in recovery is not a sign of failure.
• While 12-step programs are one example of providing those in recovery with a space to gather and share, drama therapy has shown significant impacts on the lives of those in recovery.
• Because military members often suffer from PTSD, we are able to create tailored plans that utilizes trauma-informed care and other evidence-based treatments to get to the root causes of their addiction or alcoholism.
• Lumina Recovery provides group therapy programs and sober living communities to help you foster new connections.

Other studies among younger populations also described how young people with experiences of being unhoused and coping with SIL are significantly different than their housed counterparts and older adults. Histories of addiction, rejection, trauma, and violence were intertwined with loneliness for young people https://ecosoberhouse.com/ with experience of homelessness [48, 50,51,52]. We found that the proportion of studied populations who reported SIL varies largely ranging from 25 to 90% across studies. However, the range of measurement scales used to measure SIL across studies limits consistency and comparability between studies.

Association between SIL and health status or outcomes

• Turkana pastoralists in East Africa find loneliness in the loss of prized animals as much as people.
• If you’re taking the time to listen to others and reach out to others when they need it, you’re also connecting, which helps remove the emotional detachment of being lonely.
• You can also ask your friends and family to check in on you regularly for emotional support and comfort.
• We should also take time for ourselves and practice mindful meditation, which can help us stay grounded and connected to our emotions.

It’s important to remain a part of this community to help you banish feelings of loneliness. Leaving this feeling behind helps you grow closer to your goal of long-term recovery. For instance, some studies indicate that SIL can lead to reduced participation in social and physical activities, as well as lower utilization of social and healthcare services [43, 107]. This diminished engagement can subsequently heighten the likelihood of developing or worsening mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety [108]. Studies included in this review also showed how personal identities play a role in an individual’s perception of their experiences of SIL and how it affects them as they navigate health, social and housing services. In one study [33], a participant described how they were rejected from a shelter agency because they identified as transgender.

How to Handle Loneliness in Addiction Recovery

Participants rated their experience ranging from “never” to “often,” with higher scores indicating higher subjective feelings of loneliness. Lehmann et al. [38] used a revised version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale to examine individual factors including loneliness relevant in people experiencing homelessness to report their victimization to police. The scale is composed of 12 items with a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (“not at all”) to 5 (“very much”) and positively formulated items were recorded to reflect a higher level of loneliness.

Have a support system

If that’s the case, you may be able to connect with your group digitally. A lot of meetings are now being held on Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other platforms. Not only is this safer, but it also gives you a chance to get some different perspectives from different groups.

This emotional vulnerability significantly increases the risk of relapse, as the temporary escape provided by substances seems like a solace from the discomfort of isolation. Building a network within the recovery community offers you assistance, validation, loneliness in recovery and useful coping tools. However, nurturing relationships with non-addicted friends and family provides stronger support and interpersonal connections. Another way to manage loneliness is by communicating with loved ones and people in your support group.

Strengthen Existing Relationships

You may have already done this to some extent while working the 12 steps. Relationships are typically built through frequent, low-intensity contact. If you still haven’t apologized and made amends to some people, now might be a good time to do that.

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By finding ways to reconnect with the world, you can maintain sobriety and build a more fulfilling life. Loneliness often coexists with mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and stress. These conditions can feed into each other, creating a vicious cycle where loneliness exacerbates mental health issues, which in turn, deepen the sense of isolation. This interplay can derail the recovery process by placing additional emotional and mental burdens on the individual. Loneliness is a complex emotional response to feeling disconnected and isolated and poses a significant challenge during the recovery from addiction.

Increased Risk of Relapse