Establishing healthy connections with others is vital for human survival, whether these bonds are with an intimate partner, a close friend, or a relative.
As newborns, we depended on our caregivers to provide safe, loving, and nurturing environments that enabled us to grow and develop into healthy, secure adults.
Our early relationships provide a strong foundation for exploring the world, influencing how we see ourselves and those around us.
However, as important as these early bonds are, many of us don’t always think about the impact these formative relationships can have on our lives, particularly when it comes to understanding (and recovering from) addiction.
Suppose you struggle with alcohol, drug use, or other addictive behaviours such as compulsive shopping or gambling.
In that case, it is essential you understand the connection between attachment issues and addiction, as researchers have found a strong correlation between the two.
Among many things, this understanding can help you gain a deeper insight into why these behaviours might be a problem for you, allowing you to cultivate self-compassion and resilience to help you overcome substance abuse and other forms of dependency.
Here, we will look at the different attachment styles that make people more prone to addiction.
In the meantime, if you or a loved one are struggling with addiction issues and would like to speak to someone about your concerns, our friendly team at Camino Recovery is here to help.
How Camino Recovery can help
Camino Recovery provides bespoke, evidence-based treatments to help you overcome substance use disorder and any other emotional difficulties you might be experiencing, such as depression, anxiety, and trauma.
Each member of our team possesses a highly specialised skill set, collectively enabling us to help clients enhance their quality of life, alleviate unnecessary pain, and regain independence.
We remain committed to advancing our knowledge by researching, reviewing, and implementing the latest evidence-based practices to improve our clients’ treatment outcomes.
As trauma-informed specialists, we are proud to offer our clients comprehensive trauma treatment programs to help them overcome substance use issues and other mental health challenges they may be experiencing.
Our treatment programs include EMDR (eye movement desensitisation reprocessing), cognitive behavioural therapy and a fully customised twelve-step program.
Contact our friendly team today in confidence for further information and support or to learn more about our addiction services and treatment programs.
Attachment theory
Humans are social beings who depend on the support, warmth, and love of others, which can enable us to experience more joy, contentment and a sense of belonging.
Wanting love and support from the people in our lives is not disordered or wrong; it is natural and normal to enjoy these things.
However, attachment theory posits that the nature of our early attachments to our caregivers (such as our parents) can have a profound, long-lasting impact on our ability to form healthy adult relationships.
For instance, securely attached individuals are likelier to develop healthy, trusting bonds with others.
While those who are geared toward anxious or ambivalent -attachment styles tend to be more avoidant and distrusting.
Moreover, studies have shown those with secure attachments are less likely to develop addictions as they have a much stronger capacity to manage stress and regulate their emotions than those with anxious or avoidant attachment styles who tend to struggle with these issues.
Let’s look at why this happens.
Which attachment styles are more prone to addiction
As mentioned, understanding attachment styles can help provide invaluable insight into your unique relationship patterns and behaviours.
Recognising your attachment style enables you to cultivate healthy relationships and address any underlying issues that may arise from your early attachment experiences, such as substance abuse and other addictive tendencies.
Researchers have identified the following attachment styles that are more prone to addiction, with each style being the result of underlying relational and emotional difficulties.
- Anxious attachment – Anxiously attached individuals have difficulty trusting other people and can become preoccupied with their relationships. Individuals with this attachment style struggle with jealousy and clinginess and constantly need reassurance from others.
- Avoidant attachment—Those with an avoidant attachment style tend to be more geared toward independence and often struggle to open up to others and be vulnerable. These individuals may avoid developing deep emotional connections with others, preferring casual interactions or acquaintances.
- Disorganised attachment—Individuals with a disorganised attachment style often have chaotic, unpredictable, and tumultuous relationships. They may find it challenging to balance independence and closeness and usually struggle with emotional regulation.
Although securely attached individuals are not entirely exempt from developing addiction issues, those with avoidant attachments are more likely to engage in alcohol and drug abuse to help them cope with emotional pain and distress, putting them at higher risk of developing a substance addiction.
On the other hand, individuals with anxious attachment styles are more susceptible to stress and anxiety, making them more prone to taking substances like drugs or alcohol as a way of coping with these unpleasant feelings and emotions.
Both attachment styles may turn to substances to seek relief from the impact of emotional distress and trauma, as the effects of alcohol and drugs induce temporary feelings of self-confidence, well-being, and control; these pleasurable rewards make them want to repeat this behaviour.
Since chronic alcohol and drug use is an unconscious attempt to regulate a dysregulated nervous system, individuals with anxious or avoidant attachment styles often engage in substance abuse to experience feelings of joy, warmth, and connection, all of which were profoundly lacking in their early interactions.
Moreover, those with insecure attachment styles often feel lonely, inadequate, or misunderstood when not under the influence of substances, making them want to engage in drug or alcohol use as a way of connecting with others.
Addiction and attachment issues
Some addiction experts have advocated a strong correlation between addiction and attachment issues, suggesting that addiction stems from relational problems and difficulties.
Researchers explain that your particular attachment style may have contributed to the development of mental health conditions such as addiction or depression.
Moreover, the experts suggest that substance abuse can be viewed as a form of self-medication, helping individuals cope with the emotional and behavioural challenges arising from insecure or avoidant attachment styles.
Early attachment trauma and addiction
The connection between early attachment trauma and addiction is evident throughout the research, with over 80% of individuals with drug addiction reported to have experienced some form of abuse or neglect during their formative years.
These impacts are particularly significant in those with a disorganised attachment style, who are more likely to have a background of early neglect and maltreatment.
Emotional regulation issues
Research shows that individuals who struggle with emotional regulation are more likely to develop substance use disorder issues as a substitute for healthy relationships.
For instance, those with insecure or anxious attachment styles were likely not taught how to regulate themselves by their parents or caregivers as children.
The above can happen for several reasons; perhaps your caregivers were not attuned to your needs when you were a baby or young child or may have been emotionally unavailable.
As a result, insecurely attached individuals may rely on specific substances to help them manage challenging emotions or situations.
Treating addiction through healthy connections
If addiction is formed because of unstable attachments in early life, then addressing these attachment wounds can help us reverse this process, allowing us to achieve sustained healing and recovery from these issues.
For instance, when treating addiction through the lens of attachment trauma, the recovery process involves two crucial steps.
The first is to identify and resolve our attachment or trauma wounds.
The second is to overcome our addiction to a particular substance or behaviour.
This two-pronged approach is vital as it can help individuals form healthy, secure relationships and provide a more robust support system, significantly reducing the risk of relapse for those recovering from substance use disorder and other forms of addiction.
As well as the above, integrated treatment programs incorporating a blended approach of different methodologies and approaches can be highly beneficial to treating attachment-related addiction issues.
These programs may include a combination of the following treatments and therapies:
EMDR (eye movement desensitisation reprocessing therapy)
EMDR, short for eye movement desensitisation reprocessing, is a pioneering trauma treatment that addresses any ‘stored’ trauma in the body, helping to release pent-up ‘fight and flight’ energy that may cause or worsen substance abuse.
This treatment uses bilateral stimulation (side-to-side eye movements), rhythmic tapping, and other techniques to help you effectively reprocess traumatic experiences that may have been incorrectly stored in your body and nervous system when the event occurred.
By releasing negative memories and emotions from your body, you not only become desensitised to them but can also learn to view these experiences in a more empowering way, which can help reduce the distress associated with traumatic events from your past.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
CBT is an effective talk therapy that explores any maladaptive thoughts and behaviours that may cause you to engage in substance use.
During your therapy sessions, you will explore any unhelpful thoughts and belief patterns that may cause you to drink or partake in drug use, reframing these unhealthy patterns and developing alternative coping skills and relapse prevention strategies.
Other effective treatments include:
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Individual therapy
- Motivational interviewing (MI)
- Couples therapy
- Aftercare and support programs
Understanding your attachment style and history can be instrumental to your recovery from addiction and other emotional struggles you might face.
Strengthening your relationships with others through trauma treatment, group therapy, couples counselling, and peer support groups is critical as these approaches can help you feel validated, understood and less alone.
The above factors can help minimise the need for you to engage in substance use and can lower your risk of future relapse.
Moreover, viewing addiction through the lens of relationships can help us see how we form harmful bonds with substances or unhealthy behaviours in the first place, leading to increased understanding, self-compassion and lasting recovery from substances once and for all.
To learn more about how we can help you break free from the clutches of addiction, contact our friendly team at Camino Recovery today.
We are here and ready to help.
Additional resources
Understanding Addiction Through Attachment Theory, The Attachment Project, 13 August, 2022
