Stress happens to everyone, and sometimes it’s a daily occurrence. Life has many demands on people, from just getting up and creating a safe home to earning enough to pay for never-ending bills. For a person with addiction, stress can also be a powerful trigger that sends you back to a substance you do not want to use.
By effectively recognizing stress, developing a plan to manage it, and then putting together a way to prevent it in the future, you may be able to avoid the ultimate risk that comes from stress: relapse. At Iron Bridge Recovery Center in Chester, Virginia, we work with people from the start on how to manage relapse risks effectively. We provide you with the necessary tools and resources. But how do you manage stress, something you’ll deal with all of the time?
Understanding the Link Between Stress and Relapse
First, consider what stress really is. The World Health Organization states that stress can include worry and mental tension brought on by a challenging situation. Most importantly, recognize that stress is a natural, normal human response. It’s how your brain deals with new, changing, or challenging situations.
While stress is normal, it’s not meant to be something we have to deal with on an endless basis. In other words, stress shouldn’t last but be a short-term event that helps the brain solve a problem before moving on. Today, stress lingers for many people as worries and fears don’t dissipate as easily.
How does that lead to relapse, though?
When stress lingers, it creates a high level of stress hormones (such as norepinephrine, epinephrine, and cortisol) in your bloodstream. Your brain recognizes the need to react to these hormones by finding something that feels good. For people who have a substance use disorder, the brain remembers the positive sensations that come from using that substance.
Stress is high, stress hormones are raging in your body, and your brain needs a solution. It may turn to substances to find calm and control. That means you could relapse.
How to Avoid Stress-Related Relapse
During your drug and alcohol treatment, you’ll learn about identifying triggers or specific feelings and experiences that put you at risk for relapse. Stress is often one of them. You’ll also learn the strategies that work to control the intense cravings and risks of addiction relapse, as well as how to minimize the impact stress has on your life.
Let’s consider the most effective ways to manage stress that’s worsening so you can avoid relapse.
- Get help when you need it. When life is tough, or you’re at your breaking point, do not wait to get help. Contact your mentor, attend a local group recovery meeting, or contact your treatment team immediately.
- Get in a good workout. In the heat of the moment, exercise is one of the most effective strategies for reducing stress hormone levels. Go for a run, do a few miles on your bike, or go swimming. It may seem counterproductive, but you’ll have a clearer mind to focus on the problem once you burn that stress hormone out of your system.
- Write down what’s really hurting you. Journal in an app on your phone, use a piece of paper from the mail or create a journal. Writing down the stress-causing concerns can help your brain to focus on not just that they are there but how to resolve them.
- Get help with your stress. You certainly can reach out to your therapist for help with stress management, but go a bit deeper, too. What’s really causing this? What can you do to resolve the underlying cause? Your therapist can help you mask your stress and solve the cause.
- Meditate daily. Give your brain the resources it needs to feel good and navigate the complexities of stressful days. Sometimes, not just one thing is causing your frustration, but many. Meditation helps to bring all of those components under control. It takes just a few minutes of sitting alone to achieve this.
Remember the reality of your situation. Addiction cannot be cured, but it can be managed. With the help of your drug and alcohol treatment team, you’ll be able not just to get out from under addiction’s hold but also improve your quality of life. That means stress can stop playing such a big role in your days. When you need help, do not wait to reach out for drug addiction treatment before relapse happens.
Contact Iron Bridge Recovery Center
Are you ready to take back your life? Do so by contacting Iron Bridge Recovery Center. Learn about our personalized treatment, caring community, and the skills to manage life’s biggest stressors we’ll teach you. Contact us now to learn more.
