As our society is moving more towards making attempts to understand and include historically marginalized groups, it is advantageous to open up a discussion surrounding an often underrepresented and ignored group of individuals within addiction recovery. This group is not characterized by race, religion, or sexual identity, but rather by a dimension of personality known as introversion. It is important to understand why this group may need more attention focused on them and this is mainly due to the nature of the introvert who tends to be quiet, calculated, and less prone to thrice in social situations. Conversely, it should be pointed out that being introverted is in no way a type of handicap, but rather it is a tendency to orient oneself towards the internal world as opposed to the external and social world. While introverts certainly have strengths that often puzzle extroverts, the realm of social interaction seems to be a barrier in the path of the introverts.
The reason it is important to understand the plight of the introvert is because individuals with this type of personality are often soft spoken and have difficulty vocalizing their potential problems or issues. It should be stressed again that introverts are not necessarily lacking in any ability, but instead their introversion is a matter of preference. Armed with this knowledge, we can learn to be more mindful and aware of the fact that introverts have a tendency to avoid speaking up or drawing attention to their problems. As addicts in recovery, it is the responsibility of all of us in the sobriety community to be there to support our fellow brothers and sisters who are struggling to walk the line of recovery. Just as we had people who supported us and who were there to provide us with connection and compassion, we can learn to seek out others who may not be as prone as others to reach out in a time of need, to ask others to sponsor them, or to engage in recovery activities such as dances and concerts.
In the event that an individual’s introversion is extremely prevalent and cumbersome, we can actually look to the professionals at Hired Power to provide support for various issues in recovery. Hired Power provides guidance through their care managers, accountability through Personal Recovery Assistants, and even one on one transportation. As introverts, we are only burdened to the extent that we remain silent and choose not to seek out external help as no one ought to have to face addiction alone.