Stress seems to be everywhere. You may be worried about work, caring for your children, paying the bills, or just getting through the next day without a difficult event. Stress can lead to anxiety, a powerful emotion that’s supposed to prepare your body and brain to take action in an emergency. Yet, for many, both stress and anxiety are present in their day-to-day lives, and eventually, the body and brain seek relief.
For some, relief comes from the use of substances that can calm their mind, reduce their stress, and give them a mental break from the frustration of the day. Yet substances carry their own risk, including that of addiction. Even if you are just having a drink after work to unwind or drinking a few glasses of wine after the kids go to bed, you may have an addiction that needs to be addressed.
How Does Stress Lead to Addiction?
There’s no doubt a drink of alcohol or use of other substances can ease the stress of the day. Yet stress is actually a risk factor for developing a substance use disorder (SUD). Both stress and anxiety are unhealthy states for the brain to remain in for too long. Your brain seeks out ways to reduce those feelings. Drugs and alcohol can do so because they bind with the opioid receptors in your brain, leading to the release of dopamine, a hormone that your body naturally produces that stimulates good feelings.
With ongoing substance use, the brain connects that feel-good feeling to the use of substances, encouraging you to consistently seek them out. Unfortunately, the more you use those substances, the more the brain develops this connection and dependence on them. As a result, you may wind up becoming reliant on that substance. When this happens, you likely have an SUD.
Signs Your Substance Use Is an Addiction
Could you have an addiction? When does your use of substances to deal with anxiety go from “relief” to an addiction? The following are some signs that you may have developed an SUD:
- You feel like you cannot get through the day without using the substance.
- You use a substance before dealing with the factors that cause you stress and anxiety as a way to prevent the negative impact you know is coming.
- You’re using more of that substance to get the relief you need.
- You think about and use the substance on an ongoing basis.
- You feel cravings, irritation, and moodiness when you do not have access to that substance.
In those who have substance use disorder, the drug is no longer working to ease anxiety and stress. Instead, the body relies on the substance to function. Your brain needs it to get through the day. Over time, you will need to use more of the substance to get the same relief.
How to Get Help for Anxiety, Stress, and Addiction
Addiction is a disease that makes you feel unable to move forward with your life. You feel anxiety and intense stress whenever you are not using that substance. How can you get through the day without it?
Take a moment to realize there is help. At Iron Bridge Recovery Center in Chester, VA, we offer comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment. That treatment can include developing strategies to effectively eliminate stress and anxiety’s control of your life and thoughts. No matter how hard it is right now to see that, you do not have to live with stress, anxiety, or addiction.
Contact Iron Bridge Recovery Center now to learn more about our treatment options. Let us empower you to live a life that’s anxiety- and drug-free.
