Anxiety, depression, and many other psychological disorders can play a role in the development of alcoholism. Understanding the warning signs and potential effects of common psychological disorders can help you get help, such as alcohol rehab immediately and avoid a relapse into alcohol use. After beginning your recovery journey, psychological disorders can develop during your time in sober living.
What Are Psychological Disorders?
A psychological disorder is a clinically diagnosed disorder that disturbs an individual’s ability to regulate their emotions, behaviors, and cognitive functioning. These disorders lower the ability of your mind to function properly and manage the stress factors within the surrounding environment.
The coping mechanisms that you use to overcome your addiction may not be the same as the coping skills you need to use to manage the effects of your psychological disorder. Some may overlap, but without acknowledging the effects these disorders may have, you may not be able to identify the differences.
It can be difficult to find appropriate coping mechanisms to manage these disorders. As a result, many individuals engage in alcohol use to temporarily alleviate the symptoms of psychological disorders. However, this can lead to the potential onset of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Adopting healthy coping mechanisms for any psychological disorder you are dealing with is imperative to ensure you do not use substances to cope with symptoms. Alcohol is a highly addictive substance that can temporarily alleviate symptoms of many different disorders without truly addressing your needs.
However, the addictive properties of alcohol can go unnoticed for a long period. AUD can begin before you can realize it is becoming problematic.
Major Depressive Disorder
Dealing with depression can be extremely difficult. If you are experiencing signs of major depressive disorder (MDD), the potential of using alcohol as a form of coping is high.
When substances or alcohol are used as a coping mechanism, the use of the substance is consistently reinforced. Substance use can lead to a lack of ability to cope with depression with healthy coping mechanisms, leading to a feeling of need for alcohol to manage the effects of this disorder.
Mood disorders, especially MDD, affect approximately 80% of individuals struggling with AUD. Learning how to cope with symptoms of depression properly can lower the potential of feeling the need to use substances to alleviate the effects of depression. Alcohol is commonly used to alleviate depression and hopelessness temporarily but can easily become a problem with extended use.
To manage MDD along with substance use disorder (SUD), it is important to develop healthy coping mechanisms. Find alternative solutions to improve your self-esteem and mood without the use of substances. Healthy coping mechanisms may not have as much of an immediate effect as substance use. However, there are positive long-term effects rather than harm of substance abuse.
Bipolar Disorder
If you have potential pre-depositional effects of bipolar disorder, engaging in alcohol use can bring out some of these qualities. Therefore, in recovery, you may begin to notice signs of bipolar disorder beginning to arise. Inversely, having bipolar disorder may tempt you to use alcohol as a form of coping, potentially inducing AUD.
Alcohol is commonly used as a form of self-medication for individuals with bipolar disorder. This can temporarily help to cope with the emotional factors of bipolar disorder, but it can also strengthen some of the effects.
For example, individuals with bipolar disorder who use alcohol as a coping mechanism may be more likely to engage in impulsive behavior. Impulsivity is a common side effect of bipolar disorder, and alcohol lowers the ability to assess risk and lowers inhibitions.
Psychotherapy is a standard treatment method used to address the simultaneous effects of bipolar disorder and SUD. Participating in a 12-Step program and engaging in forms of motivational interviewing (MI) are other great techniques to help alleviate the side effects of both of these disorders. Bipolar disorder often requires you to create a balance between many aspects of your life. Holistic practices can be incredibly beneficial as well to managing bipolar disorder.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety is another psychological disorder that commonly leads to the use of alcohol as a coping mechanism. With a social anxiety disorder, you may feel high levels of stress when engaging in social interactions. If you are out with a group of friends or in another social setting, you may want to have a few drinks to take the edge off your social anxiety. This can easily become a habitual practice and can eventually develop into AUD.
Using alcohol is a great way to temporarily lower your inhibitions when encountering social interactions. However, it does not help you cope with the long-term effects of social anxiety disorder. Alcohol cannot be used in all situations.
If you commonly rely on alcohol to alleviate your stress with socialization, interactions in environments where there is no alcohol present can be extremely overwhelming. This can be a prime opportunity for cravings to present themselves.
Work on improving your social interactions by making minor adjustments rather than relying upon the use of substances to lower your inhibitions. Try attending social events with a trusted individual to help increase your comfort levels.
Building relationships with others in your sober living home can also be a great way to help you feel comfortable interacting with others. This can also help you make friends to go out into public with you to lower your stress levels with new interactions.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Many individuals will feel anxious and have symptoms of anxiety throughout their recovery journey. However, this does not necessarily mean that they have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD occurs when an individual experiences prolonged symptoms of anxiety, often due to unidentifiable causes. Common symptoms of GAD include restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and inability to regulate or control emotions.
Experiencing GAD along with AUD is extremely common. Approximately 46% of individuals in recovery from AUD have been diagnosed with anxiety. Individuals with anxiety tend to experience high levels of worry. Alcohol is commonly abused as a coping mechanism to alleviate feelings of worry and anxiousness. Anxiety also tends to increase amounts of impairment, making alcohol and anxiety a dangerous combination.
There are many healthy ways to alleviate symptoms of anxiety without using alcohol. Many holistic practices, such as yoga, meditation, and breathwork, can be used to assist in alleviating symptoms of anxiety. You may also be able to alleviate your symptoms by simply engaging in physical activity or listening to music that calms you. Each person has their own way of managing anxiety. It may take experimentation with different healthy coping mechanisms to find which resonates most with you and your recovery needs.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
When managing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the coping mechanisms are not always as easy to solidify. Individuals with severe trauma may experience flashbacks to their traumatic moment. During this time, the brain’s ability to rationalize the situation and be aware that they are not in danger is shut off. This can cause people experiencing traumatic flashbacks to feel as if the experience is happening all over again. Coping with these flashbacks can be difficult due to the inability to rationalize.
Using alcohol is a common form of alleviating the stress response of these traumatic experiences. However, it only temporarily resolves the feelings but does not address the trauma at a root level.
When alcohol is used as a temporary solution, it may begin to seem like the only option available to move past these flashbacks moving forward. As alcohol use is reinforced, it becomes problematic and can eventually turn into an addiction.
Utilizing professional services to address your trauma at a root level can help you to rewire your neural pathways and regress from experiencing traumatic flashbacks. Overcoming PTSD on your own is extremely difficult and often requires professional assistance. Find help to overcome this psychological disorder without relying on alcohol to alleviate your symptoms. Various coping methods can be used to address the side effects of PTSD healthily.
Schizophrenia
Individuals with schizophrenia tend to have a disrupted viewpoint of the world around them. It can be easy to feel confused and disconnected from the surrounding environment. Consuming alcohol is often used with this psychological disorder to help feel positive emotions and connect with others, as it temporarily diminishes the effects that schizophrenia has.
Similar to other psychological disorders, alcohol can be used to temporarily mask and alleviate the symptoms of the disorder. Alcohol use is especially dangerous with schizophrenia as it plays with the reward system. Individuals with this psychological disorder often experience a disruption in their release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters within the body’s reward system, accentuating the value that consuming alcohol holds.
A great way to cope with schizophrenia is to engage in self-care practices. As this can help with any psychological disorder, it is especially beneficial with schizophrenia. Joining a support group or building relationships with other individuals within the sober living facility can help you gain reassurance and validation. Having others to support you through these hardships can help you stay grounded within your reality.
Do Psychological Disorders Always Cause Alcoholism?
You do not have to have a psychological disorder in place to have the potential to develop AUD. Alcohol abuse can still happen in various other situations. It is important to be aware of levels of alcohol consumption and the potential dangers involved.
Do not assume that you are subject to risk because you have not been diagnosed with a psychological disorder. Being aware of the common warning signs of AUD can help you to be aware of its potential onset. If you notice you are encountering any of the warning signs, seek professional help or reach out to your house leader immediately.
While many psychological disorders do have dangers and effects to be aware of when combined with AUD, they are not necessarily a direct correlation. Alcoholism is often a secondary factor resulting from poor care for the psychological disorder and lacking to obtain proper coping mechanisms.
AUD also has the potential to bring out the effects of a psychological disorder, creating a repeating cycle. Utilize your resources in sober living and seek assistance to develop healthy coping mechanisms to avoid continuing down this problematic path.
Psychological disorders can be extremely difficult to cope with. Many individuals tend to fall into the habit of using alcohol to cope with the side effects of their psychological disorder. Reviewing some of the common disorders and understanding how this coping choice may lead to alcohol use disorder (AUD) can help you to understand the dangers involved with this form of coping. It is important to establish healthy coping mechanisms early on for whatever disorder you are encountering to avoid falling into this negative habit. Alcohol also has the potential to bring out some of the negative effects of your psychological disorder as well. To learn more, reach out to Real Recovery Sober Living at (727) 290-9156.
