Anxiety and worry — all these states are well known to all of us. It is normal to worry about something or someone from time to time, because that is what makes us human. But sometimes these emotions go too far — an anxiety disorder develops, which prevents a person and those around him or her from living a normal life. The disorder is dangerous in itself, but it can also cause more serious consequences. For example, alcohol or drugs may be seen by the ill person as a way to cope with the situation. In reality, this choice leads to even bigger problems — the development of addiction. Anxiety and addiction are more connected than you may think. From this article, you will learn a lot of information about anxiety disorders, their types, symptoms of the disease, the connection to alcohol and drug addiction, and treatment that can help you start your life with a clean slate.
If you or a friend, relative, or loved one has faced a situation where it has become impossible to control the use of drugs, alcohol, and prescription medications, that is no reason to give up. You can get out of most difficult situations. In your case, with treatment at a rehab center. That place could be New Breath Recovery, which is located in a cozy little town in sunny California. We focus on patient comfort and intensive recovery programs. Our goal is to make you not just sober, but fully recovered.
What is an Anxiety Disorder?
Where is the line between normal anxiety and anxiety disorder? In the first case, the emotion is caused by objective factors that trigger the experience. We are able to cope with this state and it does not prevent us from doing everyday activities, learning and being effective at work. But if the feeling of intense fear becomes overwhelming and occurs regularly, it is a sign of an anxiety disorder.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in five adults in the United States suffers from an anxiety disorder. This makes it the most common of all mental illnesses.
Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders
This is a whole group of conditions with their own unique symptoms. What they have in common is the presence of uncontrollable worry and intense fear when there is no objective reason for it.
The main symptoms of anxiety disorders are:
- fear;
- tension;
- nervousness;
- irritability;
- restlessness;
- increased heart rate and sweating;
- shortness of breath;
- tremors;
- headaches;
- a constant feeling of fatigue;
- insomnia;
- stomach upset.
The longer a person is in a state of severe anxiety, the more it affects his or her health.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
There are many different types of anxiety disorders that are characterized by specific signs. A list of the most common ones include:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Manifested by daily hours of exaggerated worry, so it is usually accompanied by fatigue, headaches, and nausea.
- Panic disorder. Manifested by sudden bouts of panic attacks that can look like a heart attack, as it is often accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
- Social anxiety disorder. This is a fear of any social interaction, which is an extreme degree of shyness. People with this disorder experience an irrational fear of participating in conversations.
- Phobias. A person with this mental disorder has an intense unexplained fear of any places, events or phenomena.
Other forms of anxiety include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), agoraphobia (fear of crowds), and various separation or substance abuse disorders.
How Anxiety Can Lead to Addiction?
Studies have shown that there is a bidirectional relationship between anxiety disorders and addiction. This can be explained by the fact that alcohol or drugs are seen by patients as a means of self-medication. However, the effects of psychoactive substances wear off, leading to a return and increase in anxiety. Therefore, a person uses it again and again, and due to the adaptation of the body is forced to increase the dosage. This leads to the fact that along with anxiety, a persistent addiction develops.
How Addiction Can Exacerbate Anxiety Symptoms?
The main reasons for the development of anxiety disorders are a person’s genetic predisposition and negative environmental influences: stress, mental trauma, and illness. As decades of observation have shown, addiction to psychoactive substances can also cause anxiety disorders.
The link between addiction and anxiety can be explained as follows:
- When an alcoholic or addict experiences withdrawal symptoms, he is in a highly vulnerable position. At this time, he not only experiences pain, but is also characterized by mental instability. Against this background, signs of increased anxiety are often aggravated, which with frequent repetition can lead to the development of serious pathology.
- Sooner or later, any addiction leads to financial difficulties, destruction of relationships, problems with the law, etc. All these stressors are also a favorable ground for the development of anxiety disorders.
- A person with an addiction is constantly thinking about where to find the next dose of alcohol, drugs, or prescription addictive medications. This state of constant worry also triggers the development of mental health disorders.
All of this together leads to a vicious cycle of anxiety and addiction that is almost impossible to break on your own.
The Cyclical Nature of Anxiety and Addiction
It does not matter whether the second disorder was caused by an anxiety disorder and then substance dependence or vice versa. The mechanism is the same in all cases. One disorder causes another and together they reinforce each other’s negative effects. This is one of the most complex cases of the disease, which is almost impossible to cure on its own. It is impossible to cure one thing alone — a comprehensive approach to recovery is required.
Treatment of a dual diagnosis must take place in an inpatient setting. If your loved one is adamantly opposed to going to rehab, we recommend reading How to Get Someone Into Rehab: Useful Tips, which gives advice on how to convince them to do so.
Treatment and Coping Strategies
Both disorders should be treated simultaneously, as untreated disorders can trigger the development of each other. The most effective way to treat dual diagnosis is to use a combination of psychotherapy and medication.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps to identify negative thought patterns that initiate the state of anxiety. By combining such therapy with mindfulness techniques, the patient is taught skills to manage emotions, cope with stress, and repair relationships. Individual therapy is ideal for personalized treatment, and group work provides invaluable support for people who are facing similar problems.
Medication-assisted treatment can help to manage the anxiety disorder and withdrawal symptoms that come with substance withdrawal. The most commonly prescribed medications include anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants.
Alternative therapies such as exercise, yoga, teaching self-control strategies, stress management and relaxation techniques may be used as complementary approaches to recovery.
Treatment can be provided in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Inpatient and partial hospitalization programs have proven to be the best. In the first case, patients are under constant supervision of specialists and can get help at any minute, in the second case — they undergo intensive therapy during the day and stay at home with their families at night.
Conclusion
Anxiety and addiction and recovery from addiction are all very related phenomena. The danger is that anxiety disorders can cause substance abuse problems, as well as vice versa. Both disorders act on each other, amplifying the negative effects. That is why it is important to react as quickly as possible: when the first symptoms of anxiety disorders, alcoholism or drug abuse appear, contact specialized professionals. In this case, treatment will be faster and easier than recovery from a dual diagnosis.