When it comes to leading a balanced and fulfilling life, thinking about the difference between our needs and our wants is fundamental. In the context of addiction treatment and recovery, clients and families often benefit from understanding the differences between needs and wants. Additionally, discussions in this thread can provide insight and help light the path forward.
In this article, we’ll explore how meeting essential needs creates a stable foundation for recovery. We will also share tips for better understanding and navigating needs and wants.
The Difference Between Needs and Wants
Needs are essential for survival and well-being. Food, water, shelter, security, love, and self-worth are good examples. Needs create the foundation for a healthy, functional life.
Wants, on the other hand, are extras we desire but can live without. They provide pleasure and fulfilment but aren’t necessary for survival. While wants can enrich life, focusing solely on them—especially in addiction—can lead to instability.
The line between needs and wants isn’t always clear-cut. There are grey areas where specific wants can start to feel like needs, especially when it comes to emotional well-being. For instance, while social interaction may seem like a want, humans inherently need connection and belonging. In recovery, this overlap is evident: a sense of purpose or a fulfilling hobby may begin as a want, but it becomes vital for sustaining sobriety and self-worth.
Similarly, some folks need creative outlets or physical activity to maintain mental health and well-being. These might not be strictly essential for survival. Recognizing this nuance helps individuals prioritize supportive wants that foster their recovery and overall well-being, acknowledging that sometimes, what appears to be a want can, in fact, fulfil a deeper, essential need.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a well-known model in treatment and recovery. It organizes human needs into a pyramid, starting with basic physiological needs and progressing to self-actualization at the top. In addition, the model emphasizes the importance of meeting foundational needs—such as physical health, safety, and social support—to build a stable base for recovery and long-term growth.
Through this lens, we can think of treatment and recovery as building up the pyramid by meeting all the needs and supporting clients in achieving self-actualization. It involves meeting essential physiological needs such as food, water, sleep, and health, including:
- Withdrawal.
- Safety and security, such as creating stable spaces where clients can concentrate on healing.
- Promoting social belonging through group therapy and support networks.
- Helping individuals rebuild self-worth and confidence through achievable goals and peer support.
- Supporting self-actualization. In other words, allowing individuals to set meaningful goals and find purpose, ultimately strengthening their commitment to wellbeing.
Models of Needs Have Their Limitations
While Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and other models provide a helpful framework, real-life situations often reveal their limitations, as human needs don’t always follow a strict order. For example, individuals in crisis—such as those with severe addiction—can prioritize belonging and social connection over their own physical well-being. Additionally, people may pursue self-esteem and personal growth even when basic physiological or safety needs aren’t fully met. While Maslow’s hierarchy offers valuable guidance, needs often shift in priority depending on personal values, cultural influences, and unique circumstances.
The line between needs and wants can blur when it comes to addiction. Substances or behaviours that once seemed like wants turn into perceived needs, distorting priorities. Breaking this cycle involves identifying what is essential to well-being and letting go of harmful wants.
Letting Go Of Harmful Wants
In recovery, you might identify some wants that no longer serve you. Different therapies and interventions can help you shed or minimize those wants. The “need” for instant gratification is certainly one to chip at, as recovery is a long process requiring patience.
Similarly, our “need” for validation from others through substance use or risky behaviour is not a need at all. In fact, it interferes with our actual need for self-respect. And lastly, the “need” for our recovery to be perfect can get in the way of recognizing and celebrating progress.
Embracing Needs For Lasting Recovery
Distinguishing between needs and wants is vital in addiction treatment, but also for life in general. By being conscious of our needs as humans, realizing which of our needs are actually wants, and putting some thought into which needs we are meeting and where we are falling short, we can better prioritize our path forward.
Sunshine Coast Health Centre and Georgia Strait Women’s Clinic are world-class centres for addiction and mental health treatment. We take an approach that recognizes the importance of the physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of individuals in treatment and recovery. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use or mental health, give us a call today.
