Understanding the Connection Between Stress, Coping, and Dependency

You can’t avoid stress.

You can, however, use drugs and alcohol to escape stress.

For millions of people, stress is their gateway to addiction.

The connection between chronic stress and substance use disorder is one of the most researched relationships in the recovery world. For those who lack healthy coping mechanisms, drugs or alcohol become the only solution.

Thing is…

Understanding this link is a first step to breaking the stress-dependency cycle. It can help you identify your triggers and build better coping strategies for long-term addiction recovery.

In This Article, You’ll Learn:

• Why Stress Causes Dependency
• How Unhealthy Coping Creates A Cycle
• Emotional Triggers’ Role in Relapse
• Building Better Coping Mechanisms

Why Stress Causes Dependency

When someone’s brain is in chronic stress, it craves an escape.

For some, that escape is alcohol, drugs, or other substances.

Why?

Stress causes an influx of certain hormones in the brain, including cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, these hormones make the brain less effective at coping with pain and discomfort naturally. The brain seeks shortcuts to a better state.

And substances provide that shortcut.

A quick escape from negative emotions. But that escape is temporary. When it wears off, the stress comes back worse than before.

That creates a dangerous cycle. Stress could causes substance use. Substance use causes more stress. Rinse and repeat.

That’s why top-notch addiction treatment in Morris County puts such a strong emphasis on helping patients learn how to manage stress in healthy ways. Coping skills are a crucial part of addiction recovery.

It’s fairly simple, right?

Thing is, it gets more complicated from here…

How Unhealthy Coping Creates A Cycle

Not all coping mechanisms are equal.

Some people exercise to relieve stress. Others talk to a friend or practice meditation. Healthy coping mechanisms like these help the brain process difficult emotions.

But many people never learn these healthy skills. Instead, they develop:

• Avoidance – Ignoring the problem until it gets out of control
• Numbing – Using substances to turn off their feelings
• Isolation – Withdrawing from the people who care about them

Each of these unhealthy coping mechanisms raises the risk of addiction.

But why does this matter?

Because when someone turns to substances to relieve their stress, their brain starts to associate that substance with relief. Over time, the brain makes that response a default reaction to any stressful trigger.

Researchers at the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that chronic stress actually disrupts the stress response in the brain. This makes it difficult for a person to rebound from stressful situations without help.

The result?

A cycle of addiction that’s almost impossible to break without professional assistance.

The Role Of Emotional Triggers In Relapse

A critical component of the addiction recovery process is identifying emotional triggers.

Triggers are people, places, things, or situations that cause the desire to use drugs or alcohol. Stress is one of the biggest triggers on the planet.

Ever been in a situation like this…

A hard day at work. A fight with a significant other. Money worries mounting. Day-to-day stressors like these are the most likely to drive someone back to substance abuse if they lack coping skills.

The research shows this, too. A study from NIDA revealed that about 40-60% of patients who received substance use disorder treatment experienced relapse at some point. Compare that to the relapse rates for other chronic illnesses like diabetes or asthma, and you’ll find that addiction relapse isn’t some sign of weakness. It’s a standard part of the disease.

But there is good news here:

Relapse isn’t the end of the world. Relapse means that the treatment plan needs an adjustment. The important thing is identifying what the trigger was and taking steps to avoid it in the future.

Some of the most common emotional triggers include:

• Anxiety – uncontrollable worry that’s always present
• Depression – low mood that can’t seem to shake
• Anger – built-up frustration that has no outlet
• Loneliness – being physically near people but feeling alone

Each of these emotions can send someone in the direction of unhealthy coping if they’re unprepared.

Building Better Coping Mechanisms

So, how does a person break this stress/addiction cycle?

The answer is to learn a new set of tools, a toolbox of healthy coping mechanisms. Coping skills are things that a person can do to provide relief without turning to drugs or alcohol.

Some of the most powerful healthy coping mechanisms include:

• Mindfulness and meditation. Learning to live in the present moment decreases the power of anxious thoughts about the future or mistakes in the past.
• Physical activity. Exercise produces endorphins in the brain that naturally improve mood. A short walk can provide some relief.
• Social support. Talking to understanding friends or family members gives a person an emotional release. Isolation and loneliness make recovery that much harder.
• Professional counselling. Working with a trained therapist helps a person to discover the source of the stress and learn new strategies to overcome it.
• Structure and routine. Creating a predictable schedule each day removes uncertainty and the anxiety it produces.

Thing is, these strategies are different from the relief of using drugs or alcohol.

These skills build resilience over time. Each time a person practices a healthy coping skill, their brain wires that new path into place. Before long, it becomes automatic.

Healthy coping is the key to lasting addiction recovery.

The Importance Of Early Intervention

The longer a person uses substances to cope with stress, the more difficult it becomes to stop.

Early intervention can be critical. Getting help before the addiction is fully formed means better outcomes.

Warning signs that someone may be turning to drugs or alcohol to cope include:

• Tolerance increases – a person needs more and more of the substance to experience the same effect
• Isolation or secrecy around using
• Ignoring work, school, or family obligations
• Mood changes when the substance is available or not

If you see these warning signs, it’s time to get professional help.

Treatment programmes that address stress management and addiction tend to have better long-term success rates. By treating both, a person has a chance at fixing the underlying causes of the problem.

In Conclusion

Stress, coping, and dependency are all connected.

A lack of healthy coping tools leaves a brain vulnerable to using drugs and alcohol. But that solution comes with a heavy price tag. The stress/addiction cycle can rob years off someone’s life.

The good news?

Breaking free from the cycle of stress and substance abuse is possible. Recovery is absolutely possible.

Let’s recap this article real quick:

• Chronic stress makes the brain seek shortcuts to feel better.
• Unhealthy coping skills create a vicious cycle of stress-addiction
• Emotional triggers are a big factor in relapse
• Learning healthy coping skills is a must for addiction recovery
• The sooner someone gets help, the better their outcome will be

Breaking free of addiction is never easy. But learning about the link between stress and substance abuse is a step in the right direction.

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