Addiction, Technology, Social Connection and Recovery

Dr. David Fawcett

For many years, it was believed that drugs, including alcohol and heroin, inherently altered mood and that their use would inevitably lead to addiction. This is reflected in large-scale studies. For example, the Partnership with America’s Drug Free funded studies in which rats were placed in an empty cage with a bowl of plain water and another bowl of water infused with cocaine or heroin. The rats inevitably chose the drug-infused water and eventually died of a drug overdose. The conclusion is that drugs can lead to addiction, once you are hooked on the hope of recovery.

In the 1970s, a Canadian psychologist named Bruce Alexander refuted this research with his “rat park” studies, in which he replicated these early experiments with rats and water bowls, but this time, gave them lots of cheese, toys, and companionship from other rats. The rats in this social environment received 75% less drug water than the isolated rats, and none of the rats overdosed. Later, he released some of the quarantined rats into the rat park, where they again consumed 75% of the drug water. So even addicted rats prefer social connections to drugs.

From this, it is clear that social connectedness is an important protective factor against the risk of addiction. Other interesting observations about the role of social ties are beginning to be noted. It is estimated that heroin was most commonly used by Vietnamese soldiers, for example, with 20% of them addicted. But when they returned home to their communities and support networks, more than 95 percent stopped using heroin entirely.

Rat Park and other studies are nicely summarized in Johann Hari’s TED Talk, Everything You Think You’re Wrong About Addiction.

If social connections are important in mitigating the risk of addiction, what happens as we increasingly move into the digital world? The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that heroin overdoses have increased sixfold since 2001, while prescription opiate overdoses have increased fourfold. We also saw a 42% increase in cocaine overdose deaths and a 5% increase in benzodiazepine deaths. During the same time frame, the number of Americans who report regularly using technology such as smartphones, tablets and other electronics increased from 46% to 84%.

Is there a connection? It seems like there might be, and the connection could be a disconnect caused by the digital device. As we tune in to technology, some of us seem to tune in to human intimacy. In fact, many studies have found a link between digital technology use and addiction. For example, Columbia University found that American teens who spend time on social media are twice as likely to use marijuana, three times more likely to use alcohol, and five times more likely to use tobacco than other teens.

Other studies look at the effects of social isolation on our physiology. Oxytocin, for example, is elevated by human bonding and social connection and has important stress-reducing properties. Less oxytocin affects our sense of well-being. When we look at this fact, we see that the bigger problem is not addiction itself, but the loneliness and isolation in our society, which makes people more susceptible to the effects of addiction.

Here are five tips for building social connections adapted by Dean Ornish.

1. Spend quality time with people you truly care about.
2. Remember, it’s not the number of social connections (e.g., 5000 Facebook friends) but the quality of social connections that really matters.
3. Use social media as a means to facilitate real-world social connections and plan real-world activities. Using it as a destination in itself can deepen your feelings of loneliness and isolation.
4. Create safe, real-life environments for yourself where you can interact with others, talk about your feelings with authenticity, and listen to others without judgment, compassion, and compassion.
5. Strengthen your network by regularly attending an event, support group, game, or training at least once or twice a month.

If you struggle with addiction, especially sex, porn, or paired substance/sex addiction, seeking wholeness can help. For starters, we offer residential treatment for addicted men. We also offer low-cost online work groups for sex addicts and porn addicts.