For many of us, living with addiction has been a very isolating experience. We’ve essentially been alone with our drug or behavior of choice. There are many different reasons why we isolate. Sometimes we’re ashamed of the mistakes we’ve made and the ways in which we’ve hurt other people. Sometimes we’re embarrassed, and our pride keeps us from wanting to connect with other people. Sometimes we’re afraid of doing the hard work of recovery, so we isolate ourselves to keep people away who might try to convince us to get clean. Sometimes we’re suffering so much and are so depressed that we feel unable to reach out to people.
Isolating ourselves can have harmful effects on our wellbeing. We can dig ourselves deeper into our addictive patterns, and we’re alone without having to be accountable to other people or explain to them how we’re doing. Isolation can cause our depression and anxiety to worsen, along with the co-occurring issues we experience such as insomnia, chronic pain and eating disorders. We can find ourselves in a downward spiral where our isolation is exacerbating our addiction, which in turn makes us want to isolate more. This recurring cycle can cause us to withdraw from people for dangerous amounts of time. Our relationships can be broken, damaged and estranged as a result. We can keep ourselves hidden away where we think we might be safer, at the very least we think we’re better off because we’re left alone to use as much as we want. Our anxiety, fears and paranoia can fester and get worse the more we isolate, causing all kinds of psychological issues we need to heal from along with our addictions.
Making the conscious decision to get better is choosing to come out of our isolation. We realize that we can’t get better alone. We start to see that we need other people. We remember that there is strength in community and partnership, and that when we work together in recovery, we can make greater strides than when we’re alone. We realize there is power in asking for help. It takes great courage. We tend to think that our humility and vulnerability are signs of weakness, but they are actually signs that we are brave enough to recognize our humanity. Our imperfections and perceived flaws are part of what can strengthen and empower us when we open ourselves to them with acceptance rather than rejection. Realizing all these things can help us move out of our isolation.
We offer multiple therapies along with holistic and integrated treatments as part of our recovery programs. Our commitment is to help you heal your mind, body, and spirit, allowing you to establish a strong foundation of recovery. Call Vista Taos at (575) 613-4810 for more information.
