By understanding the connection between addiction and loneliness, we can see why treating addiction must also include addressing the root causes of loneliness. Furthermore, recognizing these patterns allows us to create more effective interventions and support systems that heal both the mind and body. When we compare loneliness to other health issues like obesity and smoking, we can see that loneliness is a big public health risk.
The Connection Between Social Media and Substance Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that individuals who report chronic loneliness are 50% more likely to develop substance addiction and loneliness use disorders compared to those with strong social support systems. Loneliness and addiction form a self-perpetuating cycle—one that can be incredibly difficult to escape. While loneliness can lead people to seek comfort in substances, addiction further isolates them from friends, family, and the support systems that could help them recover. The deeper they fall into addiction, the more they withdraw from meaningful relationships, worsening their loneliness and reinforcing their reliance on substances. Two hundred and twenty eight individuals were enrolled in this cross sectional study.
The Bidirectional Relationship Between Loneliness and Substance Use
Researchers have demonstrated that Internet use is negatively related to social interaction and that increased Internet use may deepen the social alienation of users (Kraut et al., 1998). Helping boys integrate into the community as soon as possible is also very important considering their lower social SU. Loneliness triggers stress responses that can further contribute to addiction. When people feel isolated, their bodies release stress hormones like cortisol, which can lead to increased cravings for substances that provide temporary relief from stress.
Rebuild Trust in Relationships
But too many people, especially young people, are using social media excessively and at the expense of forming real social relationships. We’re very quick to compare ourselves to influencers or others online. Their lives look and sound better than ours, and we aren’t keeping up.
Strategies for Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Social Isolation in Recovery
As a result, addiction leads to greater social withdrawal, which reinforces the loneliness that contributed to substance use in the first place. When people come to this point, they may be at risk of becoming even more unwell due to their substance abuse. Not only will they become more susceptible to health conditions like kidney and liver problems or brain damage; they may also be increasingly vulnerable to death by suicide. Thus, it becomes all the more necessary to help them envision a future where they are healthy and emotionally fulfilled. Drugs, alcohol, and other dangers to their life must no longer be part of the picture. At New Method Wellness, we want to support our clients through every aspect of addiction recovery.
- A study on the reliability and validity of the Russel Loneliness Scale.
- Loneliness and addiction thrive in isolation—but healing begins with connection.
- Moreover, strained relationships can make loneliness worse, creating a cycle where isolation fuels addiction, which then deepens social withdrawal.
- These factors contribute to a wide range of health risks, such as developing dementia and dying prematurely from all causes.
- Individuals facing addiction may find themselves increasingly distanced from their social networks, driven by shame or fear of judgment.
Isolation from Support System
Students were informed that no one in their university would see the reports and the researchers would not know who the students were when processing collective reports. The students then signed informed consent forms voluntarily and the researchers selected the students who wanted to participate in the survey. We assigned a number to each student to matching the data collected at each time point while ensuring confidentiality. Social support and Internet addiction were measured at the beginning of the school year (T1) and 1 year later (T3), and loneliness was measured 6 months after the beginning of the school year (T2). The researchers told the students marijuana addiction the purpose of the study at the end of the measurement process. Additionally, the initial stage of postsecondary life is a critical period in students’ development.