Anxiety and Addiction

Fear, and the fear of fear, is a very potent motivator. Feeling continually or occasionally severely anxious creates a motivation to preempt this very unpleasant experienced anxiety.

Many anxiety patients discover that certain drugs and or alcohol create a temporary easement of experienced anxiety symptoms, and since anxiety is so unpleasant, most patients will try anything that seems to work to feel better, even if only for a little while.

Once an anxiety patient discovers self medication through intoxicants, the risk of addiction skyrockets. Patients increase their consumption as a way to minimize the anxiety, and as the after effects of most drugs and alcohol can temporarily increase anxiety, with consumption there is a corresponding need for even greater consumption - a quick and downward spiral into addiction.

The anxiety patient becomes trapped in a cycle of self medication, even as the medication throws ever more fuel onto the fires of anxiety.

Additionally, although certain psychiatric medications do work against symptoms of anxiety, none work with the immediacy of intoxicating substances. Also, none of these psychiatric medications works very well when the patient also abuses drugs or alcohol.

Anxiety patients suffering through severe symptoms of the disorder will do just about anything to alleviate the pain (suicide is a real risk) and it's quite understandable why many turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to self medicate their condition. Unfortunately, illicit drugs and alcohol always make the problem worse over time, and too often also end up causing an addiction, further complicating an already difficult mental health challenge.

Drugs and alcohol are never an effective way to manage an anxiety disorder.