When it comes to anxiety and addiction, sometimes they occur together for many people. Addiction can trigger anxiety, while anxiety can cause someone to turn to substances as a form of self-medication. If you or someone you love struggles with anxiety and addiction, you know just how much these two things can negatively affect your mental, emotional, and physical health. At Kasa Recovery in Los Angeles, we know how complicated anxiety and addiction can be when they occur at the same time. That is why it is so important to treat both addiction and anxiety together.
In this blog, we will cover topics such as how anxiety and addiction affect each other, what the signs of anxiety and addiction are, and why it is important to treat both together as part of your recovery treatment.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety disorders are some of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the U.S. Anxiety causes someone to feel worry or fear about what’s to come or what they may face throughout their day. This often comes with physical feelings such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, or tense muscles. Everyone feels anxious sometimes, which is perfectly normal. But what happens when that anxiety feels uncontrollable? Or what happens when you constantly feel anxious? When anxiety is left untreated or becomes chronic, it can interfere with your everyday life.
Those who suffer from anxiety disorders like General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), panic disorder, or social anxiety disorder often feel worried or afraid for extended periods of time. This can make someone feel exhausted, drained, and lonely. Some people may even feel depressed. To avoid feeling these negative emotions and physical symptoms, some individuals with anxiety will self-medicate with alcohol, prescription pills, or illicit drugs. This is why anxiety and addiction often occur together.
How Anxiety and Addiction Are Connected
The connection between anxiety and addiction is well-documented, with research showing that individuals who suffer from anxiety are more likely to develop substance use disorders—and vice versa. This relationship often forms a vicious cycle where anxiety drives substance use, and substance use worsens anxiety over time.
Here’s how this cycle commonly unfolds:
Using Substances as a Coping Mechanism
For many people, substances like alcohol or opioids become a form of self-medication. They offer temporary relief from the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety, such as an inability to sleep or a sense of overwhelming dread. For example, someone with social anxiety may drink alcohol to feel more at ease in social situations. However, over time, these coping strategies evolve into addiction, with the body developing a dependence on substances for even basic stress relief.
Substances Can Exacerbate Anxiety
While substances may temporarily numb anxiety, their long-term effects often worsen the very symptoms people are trying to escape. Many substances, particularly stimulants such as cocaine or excessive caffeine, heighten physical symptoms of anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat and irritability. Even depressants like alcohol, once metabolized, can leave the body in a heightened state of withdrawal-induced stress, making anxiety more severe.
The Role of Withdrawal
People struggling with addiction often face pronounced symptoms of anxiety during withdrawal. Whether it’s withdrawal from alcohol, opioids, or stimulants, the body reacts to the absence of substances by sending stress signals to the brain. These withdrawal symptoms can amplify feelings of unease or panic, reinforcing a reliance on substances to “feel normal” again.
Signs of Co-Occurring Anxiety and Addiction
When anxiety and addiction occur together, the signs can overlap, making it difficult to distinguish where one ends and the other begins. Below are some common indicators of co-occurring anxiety and addiction:
- Using substances to “calm nerves” or “feel better”: This includes drinking to manage stress or taking prescription medication at higher doses than prescribed.
- Avoiding responsibilities due to overwhelming worry or substance use: Individuals may be unable to focus at work, school, or in personal relationships.
- Intense fear of withdrawal symptoms: People with addiction may experience crippling anxiety at the thought of stopping their substance use.
- Physical symptoms of anxiety worsened by substance use: This can include trembling, sweating, racing thoughts, or feelings of panic.
- Isolation and avoidance: Chronic anxiety and drug or alcohol use can lead individuals to shut out social interactions and hobbies they once enjoyed.
If you or a loved one is experiencing these signs, it’s important to seek professional help from providers who understand the interplay between these conditions, like the team at Kasa Recovery in Los Angeles.
Why Treat Anxiety & Addiction Together?
Simply put: because they affect one another. Attempting to treat one while neglecting the other is unlikely to lead to recovery and sustainability. That’s why we believe in dual diagnosis treatment at Kasa Recovery.
Escaping The Cycle
If you only treat your addiction, your anxiety will resume and sabotage any recovery efforts you’ve made. If you use drugs or alcohol to cope, you’ll be at a higher risk of relapse without learning healthy coping mechanisms to deal with your anxiety. Alternatively, treating your anxiety without quitting drugs and alcohol will only leave out one of the primary drivers of your problems.
That’s why we take a dual-diagnosis approach to treatment. We treat you as a whole person –physically, emotionally, psychologically, and relationally.
Co-Occurring Anxiety and Addiction Treatment at Kasa Recovery
If you or your loved one suffers from anxiety and addiction, Kasa Recovery can help. Our Los Angeles treatment center offers tailored plans for those dealing with anxiety while battling substance abuse. We know anxiety doesn’t just disappear–that’s why our treatment programs are created to help clients learn how to cope with their anxiety while ridding themselves of the triggers fueling their addiction.
Holistic Therapy that creates transformative changes in clients
Substance abuse and anxiety often come hand-in-hand–in fact, coping with chronic anxiety is one of the leading reasons people begin using drugs or alcohol. Whether you fall into that category or not, substance abuse is often used as a way to self-medicate and make anxiety more manageable. But why not learn healthy ways to cope that you can rely on for the rest of your life? At Kasa Recovery, we work with clients to provide holistic tools such as meditation, mindfulness, and yoga, as well as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other forms of care that can help them live a life without their vices.
Family therapy
Addiction and anxiety don’t only affect the person battling it–it wreaks havoc on families as well. That’s why we understand how important family therapy is for healing not only your clients but also those around them.
Peace of mind, every step of the way
Kasa Recovery wants you or your loved ones to know that you are not alone in this battle. No matter where you are in your journey, we’re here to provide you with a safe, healthy environment focused on getting you the help you need. Located in Los Angeles, our facilities are accepting new clients from LA and the surrounding areas. Contact us today for more information on how we can help you live your best life, today and tomorrow.
Begin Your Journey to Healing from Anxiety and Addiction
Anxiety does not have to control your life or feel like a life sentence. Recovery from both anxiety and addiction is possible when both conditions are treated together with compassion and understanding. At Kasa Recovery in Los Angeles, we’re here to walk with you every step of the way. We offer customized treatment that’s tailored to you and your unique needs.
Contact us at Kasa Recovery today if you or someone you love struggles with co-occurring anxiety and addiction. Our caring professionals are here to answer your questions about our dual diagnosis treatment programs and help you begin your journey to a happier, healthier life.
