Stress & Addiction
In 2018, the American Psychological Association reported that 62 percent of Americans named politics as a significant source of stress. Reading the news, listening to debates on the radio, and engaging in conversation with colleagues could all trigger that stress, making it very hard to escape.
Most people find these events stressful:
- Public speaking: Standing up in front of a group to give a speech, even if you’ve rehearsed it, can rattle your nerves.
- Job interviews: You need a salary to pay your bills, and this one conversation could ruin your chances.
- First dates: You’ve seen the love of your life. Can you keep the spark going through a full evening of meals and conversation?
- Health crises: You’re not feeling well, or you’re caring for someone you love. Illness and appointments bleed together into a stew of stress.
Stress can happen to anyone, of any age. And it’s relatively common. According to a study cited by AARP, about a quarter of people older than 50 experienced a large amount of stress per month.
When we’re dropped into these events, our bodies prepare for action. Our pulses race, our body is pumped full of chemicals, and we’re ready to react quickly. Our senses are sharp, and our muscles are primed.
This is crucial in helping us to overcome some stressful situations. That surge could help us to steer a car over an icy road, for example, while we might slip off the embankment if we felt calm or sleepy.
But when stress persists when the original trigger is gone or when the trigger simply won’t go away, it can lead to significant problems in our physical and mental health.
Ongoing Stress Is Damaging
When the brain senses danger, says Mayo Clinic, it asks the body to release two important hormones:
- Adrenaline to boost your heart rate and blood pressure
- Cortisol to increase blood sugars, speed cell repair, and slow digestion
It’s these two hormones that help us feel different when we’re under stress. They’re changing the way our bodies work at the cellular level even if we don’t want to be altered that way.
If the hormones persist, they can boost your risk of a variety of health problems, including:
- Obesity
- Heart disease
- Insomnia
- Memory loss
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Chronic pain
Researchers think that the link between illness and stress comes from inflammation.
Cells swell with blood and fluids when they’re injured, and that helps to keep them from moving while supporting them with nutrition. Research from Carnegie Mellon University suggests that long-term stress suppresses the body’s ability to regulate inflammation. Tissues swell up, and they don’t shrink back down again.
Stress and Addiction Are Linked
Researchers say that stressful events in childhood, such as sexual trauma or abandonment, can lead to significant stress, and that leads to lower self-control skills in adulthood. Someone like this is more likely to abuse drugs in dangerous ways that lead to addiction.
For example, someone without a history of trauma might have a shot of alcohol after a tough day. Someone with a troubled past might drink a bottle instead.
Ongoing stress in adulthood can also change brain chemistry, and that can result in lowered self-control. The chemistry is complicated, researchers say, and it involves some chemicals rising while others are blocked. But the result is easy to understand: A person under extreme stress is physically incapable of making good decisions consistently. A person like this has a lack of ongoing self-control, and that can lead to experimentation and continuous dangerous drug use.
Abusive substances can also just seem like really good, temporary solutions. A few martinis could calm your speeding heart, and the dopamine pumping from your brain can make you feel a sense of control that’s eluded you all day. Downing pain pills can blunt the activity in your mind, so you’re less likely to examine your mistakes from every angle.
How Treatment Works
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one form of treatment you might use to overcome both chronic stress and addiction. The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies says your CBT goals might involve:
- Behavior. You learn to use less often and exercise more.
- Thoughts. You might focus on eliminating negative self-talk while reminding yourself of your accomplishments.
- Coping. You might identify stress triggers and learn how to amend those you can.
- Feelings. You might work on shifting from depression to happiness or look for ways to ease overwhelming stress into basic tension.
You’ll make these changes by talking with a mental health professional in a series of appointments. Your doctor might add medications to ease specific symptoms, such as sleeping pills to alleviate insomnia, but those aren’t always required.
Your doctor might also help you understand the role of self-care in easing stress. The American Psychological Association says it’s helpful to build:
- Strong relationships. Talk to your family and friends about your thoughts and fears. Look for ways to distance yourself from people who make you feel anxious or worried.
- Anger management techniques. A quick reaction during an intense period of stress can make a situation worse. Walking away can help you deescalate before augmenting.
- Relaxation skills. Exercise and meditation can help to calm the body and brain. Your therapist can teach you how and when to lean on these techniques.
- Healthy sleep habits. Rest can help your body to heal from the damage of stress. Setting up your bedroom for sleep and sticking to a sleep schedule can be incredibly helpful.
Support groups can give you even more stress-busting ideas, and you’ll also learn how others have fought back against their addictions. You can go as often as you’d like, and there’s no charge for this care.
Don’t let chronic stress steal your health and happiness. If you’re struggling, get help at one of our drug rehab centers in South Florida.
Dr. Alam is an internationally renowned psychiatrist with academic affiliations with Northwestern University and University of Illinois, Chicago where he completed his residency training. He has been a principal investigator for over forty studies and has been involved in research leading to the approval of most psychiatric medications currently on the market. He is the founder of the Neuroscience Research Institute which continues to conduct research on cutting edge medication and interventional psychiatry. Dr. Alam is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He has won several awards and has been featured extensively on radio and television.
