The Power and Purpose of Community

Counseling offices are filled with individuals seeking healing, connection, and growth. The challenges of trauma, anxiety, depression, relational concerns, substance abuse, and other issues, require support. Seeking professional help is a logical next step and can be an essential tool in our healing and growth journeys. However, we should not overlook the powerful impact that our own personal communities can have on our health and wellbeing. Community is a vital part of a person’s holistic health; research shows that it can be crucial to lasting change.

Journalist Johan Hari famously stated that, “the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is connection.” This statement came following his analysis of Professor Bruce Alexander’s “Rat Park” study. First, Professor Alexander introduced drugged (cocaine or heroin) water to rats in isolation and observed as the rats descended into addiction and eventually killed themselves. Second, Alexander put rats in a luxury rat community filled with other rats, mazes, wheels, and other stimulating objects. He then introduced two bottles of water, one containing drugged water and one containing plain water. The rats consistently chose the normal water over the drugged water and didn’t descend into addiction as they did when living in isolation. The study showed that a vibrant community that brings connection plays an important role in sobriety and health.

Does this same principle apply to humans? In Hari’s Ted Talk, he discusses Portugal’s 2001 decriminalization of drugs and the programs put in place to help addicts recover, thrive, and become active members of society. As of 2024, Portugal’s drug-related deaths decreased by 80% when addicts were provided with support, community connections, and small business loans and tools to help them find purpose and passion. Portugal took the power of human connection and infused it into how it cares for addicts. The results were astounding, showing that connection transforms and heals hurting people.

A healthy and supportive community provides a safe space to process and navigate emotions and experiences. This is true for all people and not just those navigating addiction. In community, we learn that our experiences are not as unique as we believe, which helps reduce stigma and shame. Sharing with others also allows us to experience the power of co-regulation. Co-regulation occurs when someone shares something difficult and emotional with another who stays calm and reassuring during the exchange. That calmness in the face of emotional distress increases our feel-good chemicals of dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins by telling our mind and body that calmness can exist amidst our turmoil. By sharing our stories (both painful and positive) we allow ourselves to experience the healing power of community. Instead of fearing vulnerability and emotional intimacy, leaning into them can be a tremendous part of our healing and growth journeys.

Resources: Johan Hari “Everything You Know About Addiction is Wrong” https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong