Sometimes life can be extremely stressful and you may take a little break from life by taking a drink once in a while. Alcohol immediately helps you relax. But it can also cause many problems when the problems do not go away and the drinking escalates. When feeling overwhelmed, instead of addressing the root problem, it is always easier to reach for a bottle. Now the problems are compounded and heavy drinking is its own problem. Depending on alcohol to deal with stress leads to additional psychological and health problems.
Common Types of Stress
Generally there are four forms of stress: everyday, childhood, catastrophic and ethnic/racial. All of these forms differ from person to person and depends on duration, severity, the current mental status, if it's physical or emotional stress.
Everyday Stress
Everyone experiences stress when they live their life. Everyday stress examples are a personal relationship, problems at work, moving into a new house, financial problems, loss, etc. Furthermore, significant events such as getting engaged, getting divorced, caring for a sick child or getting a work project completed before the deadline are also known to be stressful. Stressful conditions may be one time when people who are prone to drinking are in the most danger to drink. This cycle of using alcohol to deal with problems is called alcohol use disorder or AUD.
Childhood Stress
Having a tough childhood can cause great harm when the person becomes an adult. Causalities can include physical, sexual or emotional abuse during the formative years. Adult Children of Alcoholics, Adult Children of the Mentally Ill, children who were sexually abused, and other victims of emotional and physical abuse are at high risk for developing substance abuse problems as adults. While many people do survive these problems to become happy and productive adults, many other adults are burdened by these problems throughout their life. To cope they often start drinking when they're teenagers and adults. People who had difficult childhoods are much more likely to develop alcohol use disorders (AUDs), such as alcohol abuse, as an adult.
Catastrophic Stress
People are much more likely to start drinking within the first 12 months after they were in a horrific event to reduce their stress. These catastrophic events can either be natural or manmade. Getting into a bad car accident, being a crime victim, or experiencing a natural disaster can shake the outlook of life to the core. Any event resulting in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of alcohol abuse. In the months following the catastrophic events people find living life much more difficult and personal relationships as well as their employment may suffer.
Veterans who were in combat typically witnessed horrific acts and are at a high risk to start drinking to try to deal with their problems. While the studies differ slightly, 15 to 20% of Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans who saw combat have developed PTSD, which is also a risk factor that increases the odds that an individual is more likely to start drinking. To cope with the emotional overwhelm of catastrophic stress, people often turn to alcohol.
Ethnic/Racial Stress
Minorities may experience addition stress because they are experiencing discrimination and prejudice in their life. This stress might be something relatively mild like being watched more when they enter in a shopping mall or something more extreme like bullying or a physical attack. The stress can be either physical, like being punched, or emotional such as being turned down for a job because of your race. The cumulative stress of discrimination and harassment may contribute to alcohol abuse.
How to Deal with Stress
The way a person deals with stress hinges on many factors which include lifestyle, family history and personality. Lifestyle can play an integral role. Some people who are having a hard time at work may turn to exercise relieve the pressure. This is positive and will lead to a healthier lifestyle and generally feeling better about life. Whereas a co-worker who experiencing the same stresses may turn to food and overeat. After a while food doesn't relieve stress anymore so they start to drink. This will lead to worse physical and emotional problems. Someone with a family history of alcoholism is more likely to drink themselves. Finally, personality plays a role in how someone will deal with stress. People who are able to be happy and positive even when things aren't going that great are able to deal with problems much better than someone who remains focused on the negatives in life.
Alcohol Abuse and PTSD
Women and men who are under a great deal of stress tend to drink an excessive amount of alcohol. However it is much more common for men to start drinking as the primary way to deal with stress. Highly stressed men are 1.5 times more likely to hit the bottle then women and have 2.5 times more Alcohol Abuse than women.
Recovering from Stress and Drinking Excessively
When someone tries to stop turning to alcohol to handle their problems their problems do not magically go away. A relapse may occur because they are drawn to the alcohol and as a way to deal with their problems and to temporarily alleviate their craving for alcohol. This is a very important fact in the treatment because people who are at most risk of relapse can receive additional support and treatment can prevent them from excessive drinking.
Both behavioral and cognitive therapies can be employed to address alcohol abuse and dependence and at the same time helping someone suffering with PTSD. One such treatment is called exposure therapy where the patient gradually develops the tools to confront the root problem of the catastrophic stress, but in a safe and secure setting. By doing this they can learn the causes and solutions to minimize their stress. By gaining control of their PTSD symptoms, they will be much less likely to drink excessively after treatment. The treatment for stress disorders such as PTSD and alcohol should be done concurrently as to prevent both problems from returning in the future.
Our Intensive Outpatient Program in Memphis, TN that has been proven to be effective in the treatment of PTSD and alcohol abuse in peer reviewed treatment outcome studies. Our treatment center provides services to those who need more treatment than one hour a week, but less than 24 hour care, by providing three hours of treatment per day, three to five days per week, in an intensive outpatient setting. Because our treatment center relies on evidence based practices, our Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program shares many common methods with other successful rehab and PTSD programs. The foundations of our treatment program for substance abuse also rely on the principles of harm reduction, motivational interviewing, stages of change and cognitive behavioral therapy to promote recovery from PTSD, alcohol abuse and drug treatment. In fact, If you or a loved one is showing signs of PTSD, alcohol abuse or needs drug treatment rehab, they should be assessed by a trained mental health professional who can help design a treatment plan that can result in recovery. Treatment for PTSD and substance abuse can be highly successful. Call us at 901-682-6136 to schedule an appointment.
Common Types of Stress
Generally there are four forms of stress: everyday, childhood, catastrophic and ethnic/racial. All of these forms differ from person to person and depends on duration, severity, the current mental status, if it's physical or emotional stress.
Everyday Stress
Everyone experiences stress when they live their life. Everyday stress examples are a personal relationship, problems at work, moving into a new house, financial problems, loss, etc. Furthermore, significant events such as getting engaged, getting divorced, caring for a sick child or getting a work project completed before the deadline are also known to be stressful. Stressful conditions may be one time when people who are prone to drinking are in the most danger to drink. This cycle of using alcohol to deal with problems is called alcohol use disorder or AUD.
Childhood Stress
Having a tough childhood can cause great harm when the person becomes an adult. Causalities can include physical, sexual or emotional abuse during the formative years. Adult Children of Alcoholics, Adult Children of the Mentally Ill, children who were sexually abused, and other victims of emotional and physical abuse are at high risk for developing substance abuse problems as adults. While many people do survive these problems to become happy and productive adults, many other adults are burdened by these problems throughout their life. To cope they often start drinking when they're teenagers and adults. People who had difficult childhoods are much more likely to develop alcohol use disorders (AUDs), such as alcohol abuse, as an adult.
Catastrophic Stress
People are much more likely to start drinking within the first 12 months after they were in a horrific event to reduce their stress. These catastrophic events can either be natural or manmade. Getting into a bad car accident, being a crime victim, or experiencing a natural disaster can shake the outlook of life to the core. Any event resulting in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of alcohol abuse. In the months following the catastrophic events people find living life much more difficult and personal relationships as well as their employment may suffer.
Veterans who were in combat typically witnessed horrific acts and are at a high risk to start drinking to try to deal with their problems. While the studies differ slightly, 15 to 20% of Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans who saw combat have developed PTSD, which is also a risk factor that increases the odds that an individual is more likely to start drinking. To cope with the emotional overwhelm of catastrophic stress, people often turn to alcohol.
Ethnic/Racial Stress
Minorities may experience addition stress because they are experiencing discrimination and prejudice in their life. This stress might be something relatively mild like being watched more when they enter in a shopping mall or something more extreme like bullying or a physical attack. The stress can be either physical, like being punched, or emotional such as being turned down for a job because of your race. The cumulative stress of discrimination and harassment may contribute to alcohol abuse.
How to Deal with Stress
The way a person deals with stress hinges on many factors which include lifestyle, family history and personality. Lifestyle can play an integral role. Some people who are having a hard time at work may turn to exercise relieve the pressure. This is positive and will lead to a healthier lifestyle and generally feeling better about life. Whereas a co-worker who experiencing the same stresses may turn to food and overeat. After a while food doesn't relieve stress anymore so they start to drink. This will lead to worse physical and emotional problems. Someone with a family history of alcoholism is more likely to drink themselves. Finally, personality plays a role in how someone will deal with stress. People who are able to be happy and positive even when things aren't going that great are able to deal with problems much better than someone who remains focused on the negatives in life.
Alcohol Abuse and PTSD
Women and men who are under a great deal of stress tend to drink an excessive amount of alcohol. However it is much more common for men to start drinking as the primary way to deal with stress. Highly stressed men are 1.5 times more likely to hit the bottle then women and have 2.5 times more Alcohol Abuse than women.
Recovering from Stress and Drinking Excessively
When someone tries to stop turning to alcohol to handle their problems their problems do not magically go away. A relapse may occur because they are drawn to the alcohol and as a way to deal with their problems and to temporarily alleviate their craving for alcohol. This is a very important fact in the treatment because people who are at most risk of relapse can receive additional support and treatment can prevent them from excessive drinking.
Both behavioral and cognitive therapies can be employed to address alcohol abuse and dependence and at the same time helping someone suffering with PTSD. One such treatment is called exposure therapy where the patient gradually develops the tools to confront the root problem of the catastrophic stress, but in a safe and secure setting. By doing this they can learn the causes and solutions to minimize their stress. By gaining control of their PTSD symptoms, they will be much less likely to drink excessively after treatment. The treatment for stress disorders such as PTSD and alcohol should be done concurrently as to prevent both problems from returning in the future.
Our Intensive Outpatient Program in Memphis, TN that has been proven to be effective in the treatment of PTSD and alcohol abuse in peer reviewed treatment outcome studies. Our treatment center provides services to those who need more treatment than one hour a week, but less than 24 hour care, by providing three hours of treatment per day, three to five days per week, in an intensive outpatient setting. Because our treatment center relies on evidence based practices, our Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program shares many common methods with other successful rehab and PTSD programs. The foundations of our treatment program for substance abuse also rely on the principles of harm reduction, motivational interviewing, stages of change and cognitive behavioral therapy to promote recovery from PTSD, alcohol abuse and drug treatment. In fact, If you or a loved one is showing signs of PTSD, alcohol abuse or needs drug treatment rehab, they should be assessed by a trained mental health professional who can help design a treatment plan that can result in recovery. Treatment for PTSD and substance abuse can be highly successful. Call us at 901-682-6136 to schedule an appointment.
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