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Everyone experiences anxiety sometimes. It is a normal part of everyday life in our faced-paced society. But an anxiety disorder is much more than experiencing a little anxiety over your upcoming interview or worrying about your children when they are away at camp.

Clinical anxiety causes both psychological and physical symptoms that make it difficult to function in your everyday life. Many people with undiagnosed or untreated anxiety disorders turn to drugs and alcohol to calm the nerves, thinking this is an effective way to take care of the problem. What they don’t realize it that it puts them at a greater risk of becoming an addict and set up a vicious cycle. Here’s how it works.

Alcohol and Drugs to Quell Anxiety Symptoms

Initially, alcohol and/or drugs may mask the symptoms of anxiety and make it easier for you to complete everyday tasks. This is especially true of those who suffer from social anxiety as it relaxes them and lets them interact with others without excessive anxiety. To the person suffering from an anxiety disorder, alcohol and certain drugs such as marijuana can seem like a “magical cure” to their problems, but it doesn’t stop there.

Increased Anxiety Symptoms

While initially self medicating with alcohol or drugs brings relief from the symptoms of anxiety, it actually increases your anxiety symptoms when you are no longer drinking. This starts the vicious cycle — you drink to relieve your symptoms, but once the effects of alcohol or drugs wear off the anxiety symptoms return, and with more power, requiring more and more alcohol and or drug use to keep them at bay.

The Road to Addiction

The increased use of alcohol to control your anxiety symptoms may cause a physical addiction to the substance. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 20 percent of people with an anxiety disorder also have a problem with substance abuse. Likewise, 20 percent of those with a substance abuse problem also have an anxiety or mood disorder.

Solutions

Addicts in recovery who also have (or suspect they have) an anxiety disorder should seek the attention of a professional to treat the underlying disorder. Likewise, individuals with anxiety disorders should avoid excessive alcohol or drug use as it may lead to addiction.

Seeking the proper treatment  for the many types and levels of anxiety is key. We should not underestimate the feelings brought on by anxiety especially when someone is in recovery from addiction.

If you have problems relaxing due to anxiety, try reading A Restful Mind to enhance your mental outlook or The Serenity Principle to find inner peace to help you in your recovery.

Peer groups often adopt similar behaviors and attitudes. When the members of the peer group encourage new members to drink or try drugs, the new member often feels that he or she is obligated to follow the example of other members.

Their social need to belong to a group and their fear that they will be ostracized from the group unless they go along with other members often makes them feel like they have no choice but try drugs and alcohol. Even though the new member may not want to drink or do drugs, they may succumb in order to cement their standing in the group.

This is peer pressure at its worst.

How Do You Avoid Peer Pressure to Drink and Do Drugs?

Peer pressure is a common motive for first-time drug and alcohol use among teens. When these situations arise, it can be difficult to know how to respond, but there are a number of ways to handle peer pressure and avoid substance use. Try these tricks for avoiding participating in activities you think are wrong or you don’t want to be part of.

Speak up. If you genuinely enjoy the peer group and you share other healthy interests, don’t be afraid to say no. Tell the group this is not something you intend to do and ask them to respect your decision. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover other members share your sentiments but were afraid to say so.

Avoid groups that center on alcohol and drugs. If you are currently in addiction recovery, you may tend to gravitate back to the people you hung out with when you were using. If the bond that held you together as a group was drinking and drugs, recognize that those people are no longer your peers. They will only try to convince you to join them in drinking and drug use. If you do find yourself socializing with your old peer group, be sure to have an exit strategy ready if things take a turn toward alcohol or drugs.

Find a new peer group. If the group you are hanging around with cannot or will not respect your wishes or decisions, they aren’t really concerned about you anyway. Look for other groups that share your ideals, vision and interests in life.

Join clubs. If you are struggling with finding a new peer group to hang around with, join clubs where you will meet people with similar interests. You may enjoy a book club, a photography club or even a gaming group with members who share your hobbies or passion.

Enjoying your recovery is easier when you associate with people who share your passion for life. While they don’t need to be recovering addicts themselves, they should accept the fact that those activities are off limits for you. Stop by our store for great inspirational reading to help you in your addiction recovery.

If you are in addiction recovery, you have probably spent your share of time trying to figure out how you became an addict in the first place. While there are many reasons people turn to alcohol and drugs, if you experienced childhood trauma it may have contributed to your addiction.

According to Dr. Vincent Felitti, founder of the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) project, with the exception of chronic reoccurring humiliation, all forms of childhood trauma present the same risks of later abuse. Those exposed to chronic reoccurring humiliation were 15 percent more likely to become addicted to food, alcohol or drugs than those exposed to other forms of childhood trauma.

The increased risk ranges from 5 to 46 times more likely to become addicted to substances in later life, depending on the number of traumatic events you experienced and your demographics.

Types of Childhood Trauma

There are several categories of childhood trauma. As a rule, the risks of addiction increases as children are exposed to a wider range of childhood trauma experiences. Nearly any imaginable trauma can be classified in one of the following groups.

Sexual Abuse/Incest: Children who are sexually abused by a trusted adult in their life are often reluctant to disclose the fact to others. Instead, they experience a sense of betrayal, embarrassment or humiliation. Because they are afraid to disclose the abuse or talk to a medical professional about it, they often turn to self-medication with drugs or alcohol to solve the problem.

Psychological or Physical Abuse: Children who experience abuse at the hands of their parents often feel powerless to change the situation. Fear and rage fester throughout their childhood and into the teen and adult years. They often turn to drugs and alcohol as a way to mask their rage and to quell the pain and embarrassment.  The program Adult Children of Alcoholics A.C.A. The term “adult child” is used to describe the adult child who grew up in a alcoholic or dysfunctional homes who exhibit identifiable traits that revel past abuse or neglect.

Death or Loss: Losing a parent to death, divorce or even to incarceration also causes childhood trauma. Dealing with the grief and anger that often accompanies losing a parent or loved one can lead children to drugs or alcohol and increase their risk of addiction.

Natural Disaster: Witnessing or having close family members or friends involved in a natural disaster, like a flood, hurricane or terrorist act can instill fear and reoccurring memories of the traumatic event. The child may feel guilty or may feel responsible in some way, He or she often suffers from nightmares or becomes afraid the event will occur again. As the child gets older, he or she may turn to drugs and alcohol to drown out the memories or banish the nightmares.

Crimes and/or Accidents: Experiencing a crime or being in an accident can cause childhood trauma. It can set the stage for fear of strangers, riding in a vehicle or going to places where the crime occurred. As children age they may turn to substance abuse to suppress their fears.

Understanding how the trauma of your childhood may affect your addiction and recovery is an important part of your recovery. While you can’t blame all your problems on past events, knowing that they contributed to your tendency to reach for drugs or alcohol will make it easier to forgive yourself and learn to love yourself again.

Try carrying an acceptance affirmation stone to remind yourself that you can’t change the past. Visit our store and browse the uplifting posters or grab a journal to keep track of your recovery.