Addiction and Loneliness
The notion of addiction often comes with judgment and negative connotations. Understanding what lies at the heart of addictions can help us extend greater heartfelt empathy to others struggling with addictions, as well as compassion for our own addictive patterns.
“The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is human connection”
- Johann Hari -
Many years ago, through my work with drug and alcohol services, I came across this TED talk by Johann Hari about the relationship between addictions and connections. The ideas have percolated through the years in my understanding of addictive patterns, and more generally, the importance of interpersonal connections both within and outside the therapy room. I recently came across the talk again and it prompted further reflections into the thread between themes of addiction, avoidance and the importance of connections.
When we think of the word “addiction”, we normally think of drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Addictions are however more common in society than we think, appearing more benign and functional than what the typical understanding of the term implies. By definition, addiction is when you have a strong physical or psychological need or urge for a substance or activity. Addictions can therefore extend to any repetitive behaviour which we become mindlessly dependent on, from our phones and social media, the gym, work… through to chocolate and even sex.
Injecting a bit of science here: from a neurobiological understanding, pleasurable objects or activities activate the reward pathways in our brains. Evolved for survival, our brains are wired to increase the opportunities for beneficial outcomes and decrease the chances of painful consequences. The neurotransmitter dopamine is at the centre of our reward pathways and whenever an external stimuli activates the reward pathways, a burst of dopamine rushes in to signal the salience of that signal. Over time, the pathway connecting the stimuli and the dopaminergic reward signal becomes increasingly automatic. Addictions form when the dopamine rush becomes so seductive that the system wants more and more of it.
Psychologically, in line with our neurobiology, we as humans have a tendency to gravitate towards comfort and to shy away from discomfort; physical discomfort as well as emotional pain, including distressing feelings such as shame, unworthiness and loneliness. Avoidance is something that I’m sure all of us can relate - from procrastination through to distractions (myself included). While some measure of distraction can be adaptive, mindless and overused patterns of avoidance can become unhelpful, forming addictive forms of avoidance.
As society moves increasingly towards individualism, our lives get busier, urban sprawl pushes people geographically further out, loneliness has become a growing challenge. The 2018 Australian Loneliness Report (Abbott et al., 2018) found that approximately 1 in 4 Australians struggled with loneliness. The COVID-19 pandemic blew the experience of loneliness further out, with research finding that 54% of respondents reported feeling more lonely than before (Lim et al., 2020). Loneliness is indeed a growing challenge for society - or as the Australian Psychological Society (APS) describes it, a growing “psychological epidemic”.
The rise in loneliness has been accompanied by the rise in addiction in Australia. Australia’s amphetamine drug use sits at one of the highest rate in the world (UN, 2023); problematic alcohol use increased through the pandemic (AIHW, 2023); and research finds that the problematic use of phones has increased through the years (Oviedo-Trespalacios et al., 2019).
Dr Bruce Alexander, a Canadian psychologist, designed a series of experiments back in the 1970s that would become known as the “Rat Park”. He placed one group of rats individually in cages with a choice of plain water and water laced with morphine. Another group of rats he placed together with their rodent friends, and offered them the same choice of waters. Dr Alexander found that when opportunities for friendships and company were offered, the rats did not obsessively choose the morphine-laced water. It was only when in isolation, the rats became addicted to the drug. Addictions temporarily fill the gnawing hollows of loneliness, but the pain relief disappears once the dopamine rush dissipates. Dr Alexander’s research highlighted not only the role of connections in mitigating the risk of addiction, but it also invites us to think about the importance of meaningful connections for overall psychological wellbeing.
Recovery and treatment at drug and alcohol rehab centres focus on not only managing cravings but also building individuals’ abilities to form deep and meaningful relationships. Addictive use of the internet and social media have been on the rise. Perhaps Dr Alexander’s research invites us to think about the disconnection and FOMO that’s at the heart of our tech addictions. Workaholism and the seemingly functional focus on work may suggest a more insidious sense of disconnection with social worthiness. Food is glorious, but when it borders on bingeing perhaps it points to the lack of satiation in our social connections.
With the busy-ness of our modern lives, it’s easy to get caught up with the quantity, rather than the quality of our interpersonal connections. The “Rat Park” experiment highlights the importance of interpersonal connections for feeling a sense of fulfilment; the research invites us to reflect on how we can strengthen our sense of connection with others. Maybe rather than an impersonal “thumbs-up like” to an Instagram post, it’s making the effort to send a more personalised message to someone. Maybe it’s making that phone call to someone who we haven’t spoken to for a while. Maybe it’s taking a risk and having a more personal conversation with a friend or family member who we love but we normally keep a shiny, smiley façade with. And don’t underestimate the power of volunteering in fostering a sense of connection with the broader community around us. Whatever it may be, take a risk and reach out to those around you today.
Resources
Abbott, J., Lim, M., Eres, R., Long, K., & Matthews, R. (2018). The Impact of Loneliness on the Health and Wellbeing of Australians. InPsych, APS. 40(6).
Alexander, B.K., Beyerstein, B.L., Hadaway, B.F., Coombs, R.B. (1981). Effect of Early and Later Colony Housing on Oral Ingestion of Morphine in Rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behaviour. 15(4):571-576.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Impacts of COVID-19 on alcohol and other drug use. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/alcohol/alcohol-tobacco-other-drugs-australia/contents/impact-of-covid-19-on-alcohol-and-other-drug-use.
Lim, M., Lambert, G., Thurston, L., Argent, T., Eres, R., Qualter, P., Panayiotou, M., Hennessey, A., Badcock., J., Holt-Lundstad, J. (2020). Survey of Health and Wellbeing – Monitoring the Impact of COVID-19. Swinburne University of Technology: Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute.
Oviedo-Trespalacios, O., Nandavar, S., Albert Newton, J.D., Demant, D., & Phillips, J.G. (2019). Problematic Use of Mobile Phones in Australia… Is It Getting Worse?. Frontiers of Psychiatry. 10:
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (2023). World Drug Report 2023. United Nations. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/wdr-2023-online-segment.html.
