Stress and Addiction

Stress is a known factor in the risk of both addiction and relapse. The link between stress and addiction has been the subject of many studies. Stress is not easy for some people to handle in a healthy way.

Promises Behavioral Health professionals recognize how stress potentially contributes to your addiction. Discover how to cope with stress, and live your life free of drugs, including alcohol. To learn more about how to manage your stress and addiction, contact Promises Behavioral Health today at 844.875.5609.

Stress as a Risk Factor for Addiction

Stress is a normal part of life, yet it is not always unhealthy. The American Psychological Association (APA) reveals some facts about stress, including:

Nearly 75 percent of adults reveal that they experience physical or psychological symptoms related to stress
Almost 50 percent of adults indicate that they have laid awake at night at least once in the previous month because of stress
Stress becomes unhealthy when it affects your daily functioning
Many adults wish that they had more emotional support

The author of an article originally appearing in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, and now appearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) site explains that stress is a ‘well-known risk factor.’ This factor can potentially lead to a vulnerability that ultimately results in addiction or addiction relapse. It is essential to recognize that the link between stress and addiction involves what is perceived as the effects of negative affect, or distress, and not the ‘good’ stress.

Did stress lead you to turn to alcohol, opioids, cocaine, heroin, or other drugs? Promises Behavioral Health offers a variety of addiction therapy programs that help you get on the path to recovery.

Understanding Stress and Addiction

Stress that leads to substance abuse and addiction does not always occur because of current life situations. A Psychology Today contributor explains that stress related to issues such as childhood trauma, family dysfunction, or other problems related to adversity earlier in life sometimes leads to stress and addiction later in life.

The event or situation itself does not cause stress. It is how you cope with it. Multiple studies show a correlation between chronic stress and the motivation to drink alcohol or use drugs.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains that cocaine use disorders frequently occur along with stress disorders. Stress is also a potential factor in cocaine use relapse.

Similarly, authors of another article originally appearing in Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, looked at the effects of stress on alcohol use. Although it is typically recognized that stress increases drinking, the authors discussed the effects of stress and addiction, particularly stress and alcohol consumption on the brain.

The Promises Behavioral Health team understands that addiction is a disease and not a lack of willpower and that you cannot just ‘snap out of it’ as some people likely tell you to do.

Getting Treatment at Promises Behavioral Health

Treating stress and addiction requires a comprehensive treatment plan that treats you as a whole person. It should not just treat the addiction or just stress. In these cases, we recommend dual diagnosis treatment. At Promises Behavioral Health, we offer a wide range of addiction treatment programs to help address your addiction. Our treatment programs include:

Don’t let your life stop because your stress had led to a life-threatening addiction. Get help at Promises Behavioral Health. Treating your addiction and stress will begin with an assessment and development of an individualized treatment plan. Contact us at 844.875.5609 today, and discover how to live a healthy lifestyle again.