How giving help to others can help young people deal with their own addiction.

ddiction is a significant problem among adolescents – it reduces academic performance, increases the likelihood of injury or criminal behavior, and has been estimated to cost US society as much as $500 billion every year. In new research, which builds on the idea that social connection and helping others can have benefits, Byron R. Johnson, Maria E. Pagano, Matthew T. Lee, and Stephen G. Post studied the effects of social isolation on young people who were being treated for alcohol and drug addiction. They find that socially estranged juveniles were more likely to relapse into addiction post-treatment, but also that those who gave help to others as part of the program were less likely to relapse and to commit crimes.