The Importance Of Social Skills To Overcome Addictions

Emphasis is often placed on the idea that leaving behind an addictive disorder is a kind of personal struggle carried out alone, a mission that each person must face on their own, since being a mere question of “willpower”, The main battles are fought within one’s own mind.

However, this belief could not be more wrong. Firstly, because the existence of addictions denies the importance of a concept such as willpower, because if something characterizes this type of pathology it is its ability to make people lose control of their actions. And secondly, because addictions are not overcome simply through introspection, but the social dimension of the problem (that is, our way of relating to others) also becomes very important.

So, in this article we will see What role does social skills training play in overcoming addictions?

Why are personal relationships so important in overcoming an addictive disorder?

In every addiction, whether based on dependence on a drug or on an addictive behavior, there is a learned behavioral element. That is, an element that goes beyond pure chemical addiction (the addiction mechanisms that take place in the brain when the nervous system is exposed several times to some substances that interact with neurons), and that has to do with the habits internalized by the person, their way of looking for friends and maintaining friendships, strategies for dealing with withdrawal, etc.

In this sense, some of the aspects that can lead a person to make progress or not make progress in their attempts to overcome an addiction have to do with the way you interact with those around you on a daily basis And neither drug consumption, nor the references when it comes to knowing what to do when dealing with anxiety or “the monkey”, nor exposure to places that predispose to relapse are experiences that occur in an isolated and individual manner. In all of them there is room for maneuver to improve or to expose oneself to unnecessary risks of falling back into addiction.

What does social skills training in addiction treatment consist of?

With what we have seen so far, we are beginning to understand what role social skills can play in the challenge of overcoming an addiction. The better our ability to function in contexts in which we must relate to others, the more resources we will have to avoid obstacles in any therapy process, especially in that of addictions, given that external influence plays an important role in maintaining or reinforcement of this class of disorders.

Luckily, social skills can be trained and improved through experience, which is much easier and more effective if we have professional support in psychotherapy.

Let’s look in a little more detail at how social skills training helps you overcome an addiction.

1. It allows you to develop assertiveness in the face of unwanted offers

Knowing how to say no at key moments is essential to get rid of an addiction Developing assertiveness helps a lot in this sense, because it consists of being respected but without seeking confrontation.

2. Helps manage conflicts and their implications for consumption

Addiction predisposes people to enter a state of irritability in which it is very easy to get angry at any setback. On the other hand, Using drugs to relieve anger is a way in which those who have developed an addiction “tend to fall”

Social skills help channel anger in ways that do not involve entering into conflictual dynamics when interacting with others, which also minimizes the risk of relapse.

3. It allows you to consolidate new friendships away from the elements of addiction

Having the ability to establish new friendships away from the social circles that the addicted person frequented (in which drug use or potentially addictive activities were normalized) helps to escape from that vicious circle of relapsing partly due to social pressure and constant exposure to temptation

4. Helps develop new ways of managing discomfort

Social skills can give rise to new ways of coping with discomfort, both that generated by withdrawal and that generated by the other emotionally painful aspects of life. Share our ideas, concerns and feelings with others It constitutes a resource that allows us to alleviate discomfort through what is known as emotional labeling: putting into words what we feel.

Do you want to have professional support when overcoming an addiction?

If you are looking for therapeutic support to overcome an addiction problem, contact us. In Llaurant la Llum You will find a team of professionals specialized in the treatment of addictive disorders, both from psychotherapy and medicine.

We accompany our patients through all phases of the process of leaving behind dependence on a psychoactive substance or addictive behavior, and we have fully equipped facilities for intervention through admissions and short, medium or long-stay residential treatment. You can find us in Picassent (Valencia).