How Support Systems Influence Behavioral Change in Individuals Facing Addiction

Many people have dealt with addiction or at least have seen friends and family members go through it. Whether you see it from afar or up close, it’s quite clear that it’s a painful experience. Naturally, many addicts struggle to change their behavior without, and that’s okay.

In fact, the people around an addict have more to do with their recovery and success than they may think. Recovery is a raw, emotional experience that is hard to go through without a strong support system. This support system can include family, friends, doctors, therapists, and more.

That said, cutting out negative influences is just as important because hanging out with active addicts while recovering is dangerous. Follow along as we explore how support systems influence behavioral change in individuals facing addiction.

Addiction Recovery is Difficult Without Help

Recovering addicts rely on friends, family, and fellow recovering addicts to succeed. Some addicts don’t have friends and family to lean on during recovery and must solely rely on outside help. This includes social workers, whether they’re transitioning from BSW to MSW or have spent years in the field.

Whether it be friends and family or social workers and drug counselors, addicts can’t recover without a support system. This support system can help influence addicts to change their behavior in several ways, including:

1. Highlight Their Options

Addiction can often feel hopeless, and many addicts feel like they have no options. That’s especially true for addicts who don’t have support systems, like friends, family, therapists, and recovery groups. The right support group can show an addict that they don’t have to stay stuck in their negative, painful cycle.

For example, an addict’s friends or family can give them a place to stay while they dry out. At the very least, your support system can refer you to local twelve-step groups and rehabs. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel during active addiction until someone shows it.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that anyone should coddle someone dealing with their addiction. Enabling is just as bad as doing nothing, but supporting an addict sometimes entails putting up with some hard times. The best thing a support group can do for an addict is show them that they have many options to recover.   

2. Build New Relationships

Addiction can put even the strongest personal relationships through the wringer. While addiction is self-destructive, it can negatively impact the people around you and destroy positive relationships. Once this happens, many addicts are left surrounded by other addicts, who can’t help them.

This can make any addict feel alone, which can further fuel their addiction and self-destructive behavior. However, finding the right support system lets addicts build new relationships with people who will help them recover. Recovering from addiction is much harder if you still surround yourself with people who are going through active addiction.

Conversely, building new relationships within a recovery-focused support system can make recovery much easier. Support groups and twelve-step meetings are full of like-minded people intent on helping struggling addicts. Upon building positive relationships, addicts can work on themselves without worrying about negative influences.

3. Encourage Accountability

Many addicts struggle to take accountability for how their addictions affect themselves and their loved ones. After all, many addicts self-isolate, and those around them may also withdraw because the situation is too painful. This leaves some addicts in underserved areas without anyone to help them hold themselves accountable. 

Support systems, such as twelve-step groups and community programs, help hold addicts accountable for their behavior and circumstances. Friends, family, and recovering addicts can show active addicts how accountability can change their lives. It’s hard to hold yourself accountable when surrounded by other addicts who are still using drugs and alcohol.

4. Provide Clinical Support

Recovering addicts with lots of sober time can help newly sober addicts in many ways, but there are some blind spots. That’s why many newly-sober people and active addicts can benefit from having some clinical support. For one thing, many addicts, both active and recovering, may need some medical support, depending on their addiction history.

Psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals can help make addicts more comfortable and keep them safe throughout recovery. Sometimes, this involves prescribing medications or helping an addict taper off a substance. In other cases, it entails diagnosing and addressing the problems that contributed to the patient’s addiction.

Having a clinical support system is just as important as having a personal support system of friends and family. A therapist can help addicts address anxiety, depression, and trauma, while a psychiatrist can diagnose and treat mental health disorders. Addicts need help on all fronts to ensure they can change their behavior and have better lives.

5. Offer a Safety Net

Recovering from addiction can leave anyone feeling vulnerable and unsure. Recovering addicts must deal with the problems they avoided during active addiction, along with new issues that arise during recovery. Without a safety net, recovering addicts can struggle to cope with their responsibilities, anxiety, and depression.

The right support system can show recovering addicts that they’re not alone. Having this safety net can make dealing with these struggles feel much easier. Instead of drinking or using drugs, a recovering addict can reach out to a friend, fellow recovering addict, or therapist.

This strong network of positive people can show a recovering addict that they don’t need to go back to their vices. Once they understand that, they’re more likely to confide in a friend or family member before making poor decisions. That alone can save a recovering addict a lot of unnecessary heartache and trouble.  

The Right Support Systems Can Save Lives

The pain and isolation of addiction are no match for the warmth and love that a great support system can offer. Some addicts who are new to recovery may worry that they’re alone after burning bridges with family and friends. However, no addict is alone, as they can always find like-minded people in recovery meetings and support groups.

It doesn’t take long before an addict’s friends and family realize that they’re doing well. Once this happens, an addict’s support system will grow and continually strengthen as the addict works on themselves. It’s never too late to change your behavior and try to improve yourself.