A better question might be 'why do human beings need groups?' Since mankind first emerged on the plains of sub-Saharan Africa millennia ago, the key to the species survival has been in cooperation. Language enabled humans to share their experience and knowledge, to cooperate socially and communicate to avoid dangers and to hunt. Our biology dictated that social groups would emerge that have become the dizzingly complex societies we inhabit now. Every endeavour, from catching a gazelle to building the internet has happened collectively. The next person who proclaims that they are a self made man or woman might benefit from a beginner's guide to world history or anthropology.
Groups tend to come together in adversity, and also when the group shares a specific characteristic or shared experience. This explains partly why human beings are drawn to groups in general, but there is another factor that should be examined. Loneliness.
The psychoanalyst Erich Fromm described the overcoming of loneliness as the deepest need of human nature and there is a reason why this is so fundamental to our experience. Our ancestors survived through not being alone, they thrived by being part of the tribe and loners or outcasts tended to die (hunger, accidents and the threat of other animals or more likely, other tribes). Our nervous system has not changed very much since the stone age, but the world around us has. The risks human beings face are very different, but a fundamental truth remains. Loneliness is more than simply our wake up call to find company and keep away from danger, it has become a danger in its own right.
Recent research has shown that loneliness can have a devastating impact on physical and mental health, and this is without factoring the dangers of addiction. Our forebears might have faced the dangers of wild animals and the challenges of hunting, but the threats human beings face in the 21st Century are far less visible but far more deadly.
Deaths from suicides and alcoholism in the UK, and the persistent harm that addiction and mental health issues present to individuals and their families show that while we might live in physically safer environments than our ancestors, we are surrounded constantly by emotional dangers. Some might pause to scoff at this statement, but for those who do, follow the link to the numbers of suicide deaths in the UK and consider that each of those people were killed in some way by how they feel.
Support groups therefore function in much the same way that all human groups have done throughout the ages. They allow members to identify with one another and the scourge of loneliness is alleviated. They enable members to work out their common problems and to see that others face similar challenges. They help individuals in groups to be honest with themselves and others and to see that there are solutions to challenges. Being a victim becomes unnecessary when you're surrounded by fellow survivors who can learn how to give instead of take.
Addicts who try to do things on their own rarely succeed, even though their addiction will tell them that they can. They are swimming against a human tide, tens of thousands of years old, and accepting our need for help and our own vulnerability is the only meaningful solution.
If you are ready to start your recovery, the Living Room Cardiff is a free service for people in any addiction who want to make change in their lives. Call us today on 029 2049 3895