Uncovering the Power of Social Skills for Sustained Recovery

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.

Stress is a common and unavoidable part of life. However, when you experience too much stress, it has a profound impact on your well-being. As the American Psychological Association (APA) notes in “Stress in America 2022”, in the United States alone, 27% of adults feel like they cannot function due to stress. Moreover, 76% of adults are experiencing physical and psychological health issues due to stress. Addressing the life stressors that contribute to different levels of stress is invaluable to healing and recovery.

At Driftwood Recovery, we know building critical life skills is crucial to fostering a new outlook and healthier life. Recovery is not only about ending substance use but also about healing the whole person. As a result, addressing life stressors is an important part of your recovery journey. We are dedicated to providing a vibrant alumni program to help you overcome life stressors and build a courageous life in sustained recovery.

Yet, you may question, if life stressors are unavoidable, how can you avoid relapse? How can an alumni program help you address life stressors? Expanding your understanding of stress can give you insight into how life stressors impact your well-being. With greater self-awareness, you can learn how to identify and manage stressors rather than become overwhelmed.

What Is Stress?

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), stress is a physical and emotional reaction to an event or challenging experience. Stress is often described as a state of worry or tension that can manifest physically, mentally, and emotionally. Thus, stress can impact your physical health, mental health, and behavior. However, stress and stress responses are a natural reaction from your body when you encounter challenges or change. As Medline Plus notes, in short bursts, stress can be a positive thing in your life. Some of the ways stress can be positive include:

• Alertness to avoid danger
• Motivation to take on challenges

Everyone experiences short-term or acute stress to some degree, but when left unchecked, it can cause harm. Prolonged or chronic stress can lead to serious physical and psychological health issues. Yet, how do you recognize the difference between acute and chronic stress? When is stress helpful, and when is it harmful?

Addressing Examples of Life Stressors

Countless life stressors can contribute to acute and chronic stress. The difference between healthy and unhealthy stress can be divided into eustress and distress. Eustress motivates you, drives you, can feel exciting, and happens over a short period. In contrast, distress leaves you feeling anxious and overwhelmed over a short or long period. Listed below are some life stressors that can contribute to short-term and long-term stress:

• Eustress
  • Moving
  • Buying a home
  • Getting married
  • Having a child
  • Starting college
  • Giving a presentation at work or school
  • Learning a new hobby
  • The holiday season
• Distress
  • Job insecurity
  • Unemployment
  • Low income
  • Unstable housing
  • Relationship conflict
  • Serious injury or illness
  • Loss of a loved one
  • Separation and divorce
  • Abuse and neglect

Moreover, distress that contributes to life stressors can also come from internal challenges. Fear, ruminating thoughts, and worrying about the future can all contribute to physical and psychological distress. While some stressors come and go, other chronic stressors can have a profound impact on your well-being.

The Impact of Life Stressors on Well-Being

You are likely aware that when left unaddressed, life stressors can negatively impact your physical and psychological health. Yet, many people try to ignore or downplay stress because it feels overwhelming and scary to confront the thing causing distress. You may not recognize the seriousness of your stress or convince yourself that the stressors will go away. Understanding the impact of life stressors on your well-being is vital to addressing and overcoming those challenges. Listed below are some of the ways stress can harm your physical and psychological health:

• Headaches
• Chest pain
• High blood pressure
• Heart diseases
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Menstrual issues
• Stomach issues
• Sleep issues
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Substance use disorder (SUD)

Challenges with stress often stem from a complex array of life stressors, mental health difficulties, and stress-related behaviors. As noted by Frontiers in Psychology, stress-related behaviors like poor sleep and unhealthy eating can exacerbate stress-related health issues. Interrelated stressors can further increase your risk for relapse when those stressors are left to fester. When left unaddressed, life stressors can make managing cravings more difficult and impair your ability to use adaptive coping strategies. Thus, building stress management skills is an invaluable part of treatment and recovery for sustained recovery.

Stress Management: Building Strategies for Life Stressors

Many life stressors are common and unavoidable parts of life. However, you can take steps to recognize and manage the impact of those stressors on your well-being. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, building healthy coping strategies can help reduce your stress. Although everyone responds to and manages stress in different ways, listed below are some strategies you can explore for your life:

• Physical activity
• Therapy
• Mindfulness
• Meditation
• Practice gratitude
• Relaxation techniques
  • Deep breathing
• Self-care
  • Hobbies
• Social support
  • Loved ones
  • Self-help groups
• Sleep routine
• Well-balanced diet
• Try to eliminate stressors 
• Spend time with loved ones

Access to support can play a significant role in your ability to manage stress and eliminate stressors in your life. 

Building Tools for Stress at Driftwood Recovery

At Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive alumni services for a quality life beyond sobriety. With access to continuing care services, you can address stress-related physical and psychological barriers like unemployment and housing instability. Leaning on support from alumni can provide emotional relief, offer practical support, help you strategize, and build resilience. Therefore, access to support from an active alumni program can provide connection, guidance, and resources to support stress management. Through alumni, you can find support for employment, education, activities, and connection with a compassionate sober community. 

Life stressors are a common and unavoidable part of life. Moreover, some forms of stress can be positive, like starting a new job or having a baby. However, other stressors like unemployment and housing issues can contribute to chronic stress. When challenges with stress are left to fester, your physical and psychological well-being are negatively impacted. The combination of stress-related challenges like anxiety, depression, headaches, and poor sleep can contribute to relapse. Thus, building tools for stress management, like a support network and resources, are invaluable to sustained recovery. At Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing an alumni program where you can access the support and services you need to thrive. Call us at (512) 759-8330 today.

As we grow and mature, we learn several life skills to function as successful adults. Unfortunately, some slip through the cracks and don’t get the opportunity to learn these essential skills. There are many reasons why this may be the case. A person may have been isolated in their early development and youth, which prevented them from practicing social skills with their peers. Others may have struggled with underlying mental health conditions, which may have prevented them from successfully learning and practicing these skills. No matter the reason, everyone needs to learn these skills to succeed, especially those in treatment and recovery.

That’s why at Driftwood Recovery, every client has the opportunity to learn and practice these essential life skills. With the help of knowledgeable and compassionate mental health care professionals, clients also gain much-needed confidence. These skills don’t just make adult life easier for those who learn them. They also keep alumni in recovery and help those in treatment find success in their efforts.

Life skills, however, are a little more complicated than most people would think. 

What Are Some Common Life Skills?

When people think of life skills, they often think of a person being able to accomplish tasks such as cooking and writing a resume. These skills are, of course, vital to living a healthy and independent life and are important. However, these skills can be learned easily enough through online tutorials, school, or community resources. The life skills needed for recovery are a little more tricky to learn if they are not directly taught when young. 

To be specific, life skills in this context refer to a person’s ability to adapt positively to difficulties and navigate relationships healthily. Relationship-wise, a healthy person should be able to handle criticism, effectively community, assert their needs, cooperate, and display empathy. When it comes to difficulties, a person should be flexible and resilient, think critically, make healthy decisions, and problem-solve. A person should also be self-aware and be able to think creatively, recognize their emotions, and manage themselves and their time.

This applies not just to life but to treatment and recovery as well. Skills such as mental wellness, stress management, and relapse prevention are all considered life skills. It’s also important for clients to be able to reflect on their recovery journey and be honest with their treatment provider. Of course, not everyone goes into life or treatment automatically learning these skills. This is why, at Driftwood Recovery, clients receive instruction on how to utilize these skills during and after treatment. 

How Does Driftwood Recovery Teach These Life Skills?

Driftwood Recovery utilizes several therapies and programs to teach clients essential life skills for recovery. There is traditional psychotherapy, or talk therapy, that is effective in helping clients break through the walls they put up around themselves. This also helps clients connect to themselves and be more self-aware of their actions and choices. Clients also learn how to care for themselves by learning about nutrition, exercise, and wellness to maintain a healthy body. Learning to work with others and gain confidence is also important, so clients participate in activities that foster teamwork, communication, and understanding,

The goal at Driftwood Recovery is not to force clients into learning these skills. Instead, clients learn these skills organically through activities that encourage these skills. Of course, some skills, such as relapse prevention, require an active workshop and teaching to get correct. However, clients learn important communication skills through interacting with their peers and alumni. Programs such as the courageous family Program further help interpersonal skills by providing healing for struggling families. 

Of course, the most important life skill learned at Driftwood Recovery is that each person matters. There is something special and strong within each person. Sometimes, it is difficult to see, but it becomes easier to recognize it with the support and encouragement of compassionate and understanding staff. 

Establishing a Foundation in Recovery

The life skills learned at Driftwood Recovery are useful not only in treatment but also in are essential in keeping someone in recovery so they can enjoy their sober lives. The introspective skills allow alumni to examine themselves and recognize when they require further help. Skills that involve communication and relationships allow one to maintain a healthy support network. Resilience allows one to choose healthy coping skills over unhealthy ones. All of these life skills come together to create a healthier and more robust individual. 

It’s also essential to help alumni recognize the dangers to their recovery and act accordingly. Peer pressure and toxic individuals can and will threaten a person’s sobriety if they are not careful. Recognizing your self-worth and being able to stand up for yourself does more to keep yourself in recovery than what you may have expected. 

Remember that it takes time to learn these life skills. Some people are lucky enough to have learned and practiced these skills while young. Learning them as an adult can be difficult but never impossible. Though it may be hard, never give up. In time, you will learn these skills and make them a daily part of your life. This effort is made much easier with the help of a mental health care professional. So, if you or a loved one is struggling, don’t wait. The best time to start is today. 

Life skills are essential to maintain a happy and healthy sober life during and after treatment. Sometimes, a person may fear being unprepared for life outside of treatment and worry about making mistakes or failing. To mitigate this issue, mental health care and treatment facilities work to make sure their clients are well-prepared for the challenges of life. Here at Driftwood Recovery in Driftwood and Austin, Texas, clients learn these life skills through several methods. Through practice, guided instruction, therapeutic techniques, and shared wisdom from peers, clients gain the skills they need to succeed in their recovery. To learn more about how Driftwood Recovery can help you or a loved one prepare for recovery, call (512) 759-8330 today.