In 2015, Johann Hari gave a compelling TED Talk called “Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong.” Within this speech, he discusses different theories regarding why people develop addictions and why they continue to stay addicted.
Hari questions why we continue to punish addiction (now more aptly termed substance use disorder or SUD) when it clearly isn’t working. He further questions why most of us don’t experience SUD after receiving medical treatment, as we are given particularly strong drugs to relieve pain – of course, some people eventually become dependent on pain medications after surgery or treatment, but many do not. To Hari, this begs the question of whether it is truly the chemicals in substances that cause SUDs.
Hari suggests a different idea about the solution to SUDs by ending his speech with, “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection.”
Learn more about his theory and the evidence we’ve found to support solving the issue of SUDs by creating community.
The Rat Park Experiment
A series of experiments conducted in the 1970s and 80s involved rats that were placed in a cage and given two different water bottles to drink from: one contained only plain water, and the other contained drugs. After trying both bottles, many of the rats chose to continue to drink the water containing drugs and became addicted to it, eventually dying as a result.
Vancouver professor of psychology Bruce Alexander noticed that all of the rats that chose to drink the water with drugs were also alone in their cages. In addition, the rats weren’t merely alone; there was nothing else in the cage except for the bottles of water.
He then decided to add other items into the cage as a means of offering alternative activities for the rats to do. These rats responded differently than the original rats, choosing to play with the toys placed in the cage and drinking from both bottles of water, but more often drinking from the pure water bottle. None of these rats died.
After evaluating these results, Alexander decided to try other experiments where he placed rats in cages with other rats, giving them pure water and water-containing drugs. These rats, too, rarely drank from the water with drugs included. He theorized that the social interaction provided by the other rats minimized the rats’ drive to entertain themselves with the drug-laced water.
Rats were used for this experiment because they needed social interaction just as humans did. In order to keep healthy and happy, rats require time for fun, companionship, sex, and socialization. Of course, humans need more than these things, as they also need to be able to trust one another and connect on an emotional level.
So, how do Bryce Alexander, Johann Hari, and others extrapolate this need for connection to connection being the opposite of addiction?
Human Attachment Is a Basic Human Need
Humans need trust and connection in order to have deep and meaningful relationships. This concept has been studied by British psychoanalyst John Bowlby, who concluded that children have attachment-related behaviors that show their need to be cared for and paid attention to by their parents. Mary Ainsworth, a psychologist, later conducted experiments relating to this theory as she studied the behaviors of children when they were separated from their parents.
Generally speaking, when a child is well cared for and has attentive parents, they feel safe and secure, resulting in a relatively happy childhood. If children do not have this in their childhood, then they tend to grow up having trouble having healthy relationships and responding to problems in emotionally healthy ways. If they have not had the opportunity to attach in a healthy way to their parents earlier in their lives, they are more likely to have issues connecting with others as they get older.
Let’s explore how this relates to the root causes of addiction.
The Opposite of Addiction Is Not Sobriety – It Is Human Connection
Johann Hari’s popular TED Talk on addiction remains popular to this day. This is because its conclusion regarding human connection is a factor that we cannot deny. If someone is misusing substances, becoming dependent, and experiencing SUD, then there must be a reason. A frequent example is when a person does not like their present circumstances and wants to escape their life – they may take substances as a way to forget or temporarily escape. It is a way to cope, even if it is not a healthy way of coping.
This is why it is important to consider why SUD often happens – a lack of things typically used as healthy coping strategies, such as hobbies, relationships, and elemental human connections. SUD does not arise merely as a way for someone to experience the benefits of using substances, but rather, due to the individual not experiencing the relationships and connections they need to avoid relying on the substance. So, although addiction is a substance use disorder, it is also a disorder of a social nature. Humans were made for connection. We need each other in some capacity to maintain a healthy life, and as a result, being isolated from others can cause mental health problems.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that one of the main reasons that individuals become addicted is to feel good. It is easy to believe that addiction to any substance, such as alcohol, heroin, or cannabis, is because the person wants to experience pleasure as a result of taking the substance. But addiction is not as simple as that.
Consider that if a substance use disorder were solely based on the drive to experience fun and pleasure – most people who drank alcohol would become alcoholics. Truthfully, only a small percentage of people become addicted after trying substances, while others can use it sporadically or even regularly while never becoming addicted – still others never use it again.
Who Is More Likely Prone to Addiction?
Of course, all humans have the need for connection, so how do we determine who may be more prone to addiction than others? Because of everyone’s need for human connection and attachment, it makes sense that those who have trouble doing this in their life often develop unhealthy coping strategies, which can include substance use.
As stated earlier, people who are missing things like positive relationships, friendships, and community may turn to disconnecting from reality with substance use. Instead of getting the fulfillment they need and want with human relationships, they may substitute with substance use. This solution only works temporarily, of course, until more and more of a substance is needed to “check out” from the reality at hand.
Some may reach a point where they decide that they do not want to keep living this way and find recovery. Still, the only way they will stay in recovery is by finding healthier ways to cope. This is where the human connection they may have been missing can truly help with recovery.
Human Connection in Recovery
As Hari states in his TED Talk, the opposite of addiction is not sobriety but connection. In other words, simply abstaining from substance use isn’t enough to sustain recovery long-term because human connection is such a deep-seated human need. Human connection is a powerful resource in the recovery process, and those in recovery need to know that they are not alone.
People in recovery don’t need condemnation and punishment. Instead of helping the person develop the intrinsic desire to keep on the path to recovery, punishment can actually cause them to go back to their substance of choice. Feelings of shame and hopelessness are not motivators to stay in recovery but instead risk factors for returning to substance use.
A person wanting to recover from addiction needs to be told that they are loved, whether they are using substances or not. Their worth is not related to whether or not they remain in recovery but because they are human and worthy of love and respect. Someone who wishes to experience recovery in the long run needs to be given compassion and understanding and told that they are never alone.
This idea of connection being essential to recovery has been demonstrated in many ways. A spouse or partner who has shown support during an alcoholic’s recovery process has been proven to “significantly improve” the results of therapy and rehabilitation. A study from 2008 demonstrates that those with an SUD typically have an increased chance of remaining in recovery when they join a group that offers support and community.
How Community Can Drive Recovery
Struggling with SUD can be a very lonely issue, which can leave the individual experiencing it feeling hollow and hopeless. When dealing with substance use disorders alone, people often feel like there is no hope for recovery as there is nothing and no one to help them get out of the unhealthy patterns that they are living in. Substance use as a way to cope with the unhappiness and loneliness in their life only leads to further detachment from family and friends.
When people have others to support them in their decision to make changes and start on the path to recovery, they are much more likely to stay on the path of recovery. Community addresses the issue of loneliness and helps to fill the emptiness inside of the person struggling with a substance use disorder.
We can harness the power of community to help promote recovery in many ways:
- It can be helpful to turn to a close friend to stay in recovery because of the emotional, mental, and even physical health benefits friendship offers.
- Friends, support group members, mentors, and others can help offer support and advice when a person dealing with a substance use disorder feels as though they can’t stay on the path to recovery or if they are uncertain about their next steps.
- People can help those with an SUD avoid common triggers for substance use.
- Friends, mentors, and peers can help people trust the process of recovery. Recovery is ongoing and requires constant work. It can look different every day, and some may look better. Friends can help the person on the path to recovery to remember the importance of the process of recovery and that it is well worth it.
- A community of friends can also offer activities to participate in so that the person struggling with a substance use disorder can feel a part of society and a part of a group.
- Hobbies as a part of the community can also help give those in recovery something positive and healthy to do to serve as a coping mechanism.
Creating an Environment Conducive to Healing
The community is not meant to serve as a dictator of the person with the substance use disorder. A group of individuals (outside of treatment professionals) telling an individual what they need to do to get better and stay in recovery is not often an effective measure of promoting healing. Treating a person with a substance use disorder as someone who just needs to be fixed is both dehumanizing and demeaning.
True friends allow the individual to make their own decisions and promise to be there for them and support them as they continue their recovery journey. Just like everyone else, a person with an SUD needs compassion, understanding, support, and love. This also means accepting them where they are in their journey. Even if the person is not where they want to be in their recovery process and may have regressed, friends and other community members can still offer encouragement and support.
Those who are struggling with an SUD need safe environments that promote healing and the chance to start recovering. This can mean they just need someone willing to listen to their story without being judged or condemned. Many people who have an SUD are also suffering from mental issues as well, which is all the more reason for people to offer empathy and compassion.
The Importance of Support Groups
Friends and family aren’t the only essential sources of relationships in recovery. There are many different kinds of support groups available for those struggling with substance use disorders. These are wonderful resources to help in the recovery process because they allow people struggling with similar issues to come together and support and encourage one another. People can form deep connections with their peers because they are like-minded people who can share information about handling triggers in a healthy way, getting past stumbling blocks, and impactful personal experiences.
Several support groups exist to help support people in recovery from substance use disorder. Some of the best-known include Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and SMART Recovery. These groups exist nationwide and have a broad reach that extends to even small communities. This means that it is typically simple to find a support group in almost any area that meets at a time convenient for everyone involved.
Sometimes, therapy-based groups may be most appropriate, depending on the individual’s situation. This is especially helpful for those struggling with mental health and consistent substance use. The most important factor in choosing a support group is that the individual feels safe to share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences with the group.
Start the Journey of Recovery
Recovery can feel lonely and overwhelming at times, but the truth is that you or your loved one do not have to walk through it alone. In fact, it is essential that you do not attempt to manage alone, as finding support within a community is not only important but possible. For those who have a close friend or loved one struggling with an SUD, you can be the one to offer this critical support and encouragement.
Please don’t hesitate to start your journey toward recovery. You can take charge of your situation by joining a support group, getting therapy, or going to a treatment center. Move closer to important people in your life or people who can help you cope with stressors and learn positive and healthy patterns to help you grow. Every step you take to recovery is a step of progress.
Stay Strong,
Jim
Sources:
- Ascher, E. (n.d.). The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is human connection. Retrieved from https://aschermd.com/the-opposite-of-addiction-is-not-sobriety-it-is-human-connection/
- Hari, J. (2015, July). Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong?subtitle=en
- Kross, E. (2015, September 25). The opposite of addiction is connection. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/love-and-sex-in-the-digital-age/201509/the-opposite-addiction-is-connection
- Moos, R. H., & Timko, C. (n.d.). Alcohol use and misuse: Resources for assessing patients’ perceived social support, satisfaction with treatment, and health care delivery. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/providers/sud/selfhelp/docs/4_moos_timko_chapter.pdf
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020). Drugs, brains, and behavior: The science of addiction. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drug-misuse-addiction
- The community aspect of addiction recovery. (n.d.). Big Think. https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/addiction-recovery-community/
- Nestler, E. J., & Malenka, R. C. (1994). The addicted brain: Insights from imaging and genetics. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 17(1), 99-129. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8271800/
- Volkow, N. D., Koob, G. F., & McLellan, A. T. (2011). Neurobiologic advances from the brain disease model of addiction. The New England Journal of Medicine, 365(8), 779-786. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3051370/