Anxiety is a sensation that is similar to fear and dread that often seems to have little cause. There can be causes to anxiety such as social situations or certain surroundings. When someone is faced with anxiety at a chronic level it can become commonplace for these uncomfortable and distressing feelings. When anxiety become parts of everyday life it can wear on the individual and cause disfunction and disturbances in everyday life. When this anxiety is addressed with substances it can be an arable opportunity for an addiction to form. The resulting behavior of constant experience of anxiety and coping with substance use that form and further addictive patterns.
Anxiety disorder involves symptoms of agitation, obsession, fear, physical symptoms such as panic attack with increased heart rate and muscle tightness, feelings of dread, hypervigilance, numb feelings afterward and flashbacks. These disorders can include Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsession-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Here at CIVIQ Health, staff engage clients that struggle with anxiety and addiction recovery. Anxiety treatment includes approaches such as CBT and holistic approaches, among others, to help clients identify and utilize coping skills that can be cognitive or expressive to address any anxiety that may occur organically or as a result of PAWs symptoms for relapse prevention.
Alcohol and Drug Use with Anxiety
Individuals who use alcohol to address sadness is commonly thought of as connected. Many songs have been written about drowning sadness in alcohol. Sadness is often accompanied by feelings of uneasiness when faced with demands individuals may struggle with addressing. Anxiety that occurs after a traumatic event or in anticipation of great difficulty of fear can equally be present for those who struggle with alcohol use that is disruptive. This attempting to cope with a maladaptive method is often seen as a symptom of alcohol addiction. Anxiety and alcohol addiction can often result in a requirement for a safe medical detox to avoid threats from seizure and other medical complications. When this period has passed, anxiety does not. It can often increase without the presence of what was used to cope. Anxiety treatment programs assure that medical needs are addressed, as anxiety can have many physical symptoms, both with medical providers as well as clinical staff. Clinical staff work to introduce mindfulness techniques such as yoga or expressive arts therapies to heal trauma or anxiety in the body. CBT is used to address cognitive triggers for anxiety that can revolve around core beliefs.
Use of Other Drugs and Anxiety
CIVIQ Health also understands that anxiety is not limited to those who struggle with alcohol use. Other drugs are also used to cope with anxiety. These anxieties may manifest as low self-esteem, anger or avoidance. Anxiety disorder treatment uses approaches that engage thoughts, emotions and behaviors and how they interact to address patterns that sustain anxiety and perhaps sustain substance use behaviors. CIVIQ Health understands that addressing physical dependence, without identifying and supporting coping with existing patterns and thoughts that contribute to relapse, is setting clients up to fail. When clients reengage their lives at lower levels of care, CIVIQ takes the position of addiction and anxiety treatment center to provide clients with new means to cope with stressors and then practice them in the community with the ability to return to those supports to examine successes and setbacks for better results at the next attempt.
Before clients leave treatment they work with medical and clinical professionals to stabilize their needs in those areas. Upon this stabilization, aftercare planning is discussed and organized so that the client can continue to maintain what they have gained in their stabilization and grow from there. Addressing anxiety as an ongoing process (like addressing their recovery) will require self-care and structure to maintain what they have gained. Anxiety disorder treatment can see gains with lessening symptoms through cognitive restructuring, medication stabilization and use of community supports. This will be an ongoing need that clients should have access to maintain their progress towards goals.
Your Anxiety and Substance Use Needs
Do you feel that your anxiety may have contributed to a substance use issue? Are you ready to make a change as your ‘normal’ no longer serves you? Let CIVIQ Health help empower you and address both your addiction and anxiety to meet the treatment care that you need to succeed! Please reach out to our caring and compassionate admissions specialists to connect you to treatment that cares for the whole person that you are, and the future success you hope to become.