According to “Social Skills” from the American Psychological Association (APA), social skills are a set of learned abilities. The development of social skills helps you interact competently and appropriately in different social settings. There are a variety of different social skills that are influenced by personality traits, cultural norms, family dynamics, and other environmental factors. For instance, some valued social skills in Western culture include assertiveness, adaptability, communication, interpersonal problem-solving, and emotional regulation. Thus, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) states, the process of social development is an important part of transitional growth from the limited roles of childhood and adolescence to the broader roles of adulthood.
At Driftwood Recovery, we know there are a variety of challenges and barriers to reintegrating post-treatment. Many may consider the challenges and barriers to gaining employment and housing. Although employment and housing are important factors in sustained recovery, the importance of social connection and community is often overlooked. Addiction is not only harmful to your physical and psychological well-being, but it also robs you of close, positive relationships with your family and friends. You become isolated from yourself and others as addiction becomes the focus of your existence.
The isolation of addiction not only robs you of your relationships but also of your social skills. Also, for many, the development of addiction is tied to a lack of social skills like adaptability and emotional regulation. Therefore, awareness of the relationship between your childhood experiences and development is invaluable to understanding and dismantling the impact of earlier challenges on your well-being in recovery.
Understanding Childhood Development
As the Office of Head Start notes, positive social and emotional development in early childhood is foundational to development and learning throughout your life. Both social and emotional development are aspects of mental health in early childhood. More specifically, social development is a child’s ability to build and sustain meaningful relationships with trusted adults and other children. On the other hand, emotional development is a child’s ability to express, recognize, and manage their emotions, and respond appropriately to others’ emotions. Thus, the process of positive social and emotional development speaks to the building blocks of self-understanding, understanding others, and successful functioning in society.
The power of social skills speaks to the importance of understanding the risks and challenges of poor social skills to address and dismantle unhealthy patterns.
Risks and Challenges of Poor Social Development
Through social and emotional development in childhood, you are given the support and tools for social skills that apply to every area of life. As stated in Behavioral Sciences, social and emotional development supports the acquisition of social skills for mental well-being, social adaptation, and social relationships across life stages. Therefore, a disruption of social and emotional development can hinder important social skills like communication, cooperation, empathy, and conflict resolution. Yet, what can disrupt or impair vital developmental processes? As HHS notes, there are a variety of environmental and social factors that can contribute to poor social development and health.
Listed below are some of the factors that can contribute to poor social development:
- Stress
- Physical abuse and neglect
- Emotional abuse and neglect
- Sexual abuse
- Neighborhood violence
- Discrimination
- Low socioeconomic status
- Poverty
- Food insecurity
- Housing insecurity
- Quality of relationships with caregivers
The adverse experiences that contribute to poor social skills create further challenges and barriers to your well-being and quality of life in adulthood. Some of the challenges and functional impairments that can arise in childhood and adulthood from poor social skills include:
- Impulsivity
- Aggression
- Defiance
- Emotional dyregulation
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Withdrawal
- Poor physical health
- Substance use disorder (SUD)
Poor social skills in early development can have a profound impact on your physical and psychological health and behavior. Health challenges and destructive behaviors like SUD make building social skills now invaluable to sustained recovery and community building. Yet, how do poor social skills contribute to addiction?
Relationship Between Addiction and Social Skills
It can be difficult to imagine how your relationships with others can contribute to low social skills. The act of addiction is often a solitary experience with superficial relationships built on mutual substance abuse. You become isolated from loved ones as your addiction consumes your life. Further, the roots of your addiction can also be tied to a desire to alleviate social deficits. For example, difficulties with social anxiety can contribute to unhealthy alcohol consumption to suppress symptoms and be more sociable.
However, the relief substance use provides is short-lived as addiction exacerbates your mental health symptoms and encourages self-isolation. Therefore, building social skills in treatment and recovery is invaluable to healing in mind, body, and spirit.
Value of Social Skills for Recovery
According to Advanced Biomedical Research, the role of social skills can support treatment, relapse prevention, and interpersonal relationships. Some of the ways social skills can support recovery include:
- Improve self-care
- Enhance psychological comfort
- Foster effective communication
- Strengthen understanding of others’ feelings
- Support the ability to reach out to others
- Improve the ability to get along with others
- Enhance sociability
- Support openness
Access to social skills training in combination with education about SUD supports resilience to relapse. Moreover, building social skills is not only beneficial for relapse prevention but also for restoring your connection to yourself and others.
Fostering Social Skills With Alumni at Driftwood Recovery
Social skills give you those foundational tools you missed in childhood to foster meaningful connections. A social support network of loved ones, peers, and clinicians can offer numerous benefits for your physical and psychological well-being:
- Emotional support
- Comprehensive resources
- Accountability
- Guidance
- Motivation
- Reduce stress and mental health symptoms
- Improve coping skills
Therefore, at Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing a thriving sober community in our alumni program to support you. Through our continuum of care in a community-driven alumni program, you can continue to heal the whole of your parts. We know recovery does not start and end with treatment, as a compassionate community supports the lifelong courageous journey of development.
Positive social and emotional development in early childhood is foundational to social skills for self-understanding and relationship building and maintenance. However, adverse experiences like childhood abuse and neglect can contribute to poor social skills. A lack of social skills exposes you to mental health disorders and SUD. Addiction, in particular, often reinforces self-isolation and exacerbates challenges like anxiety. Yet, building social skills in treatment can promote effective communication, psychological comfort, and sociability to thrive without substances. Moreover, social skills foster social connection, which is invaluable to sustained recovery. Therefore, at Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing a community-driven alumni program that fosters meaningful connections for mutual encouragement, motivation, accountability, and support. Call us at (512) 759-8330 today.