Ordering bottles of beer on your birthday or enjoying glasses of wine to pair with your thick slab of steak is not going to be a problem unless you’re diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. People with anxiety disorders should steer clear from alcoholic beverages because it has been found that alcohol aggravates anxiety symptoms. Studies also show that people with anxiety disorders are twice as likely to succumb to substance abuse disorder compared to the majority of the population.
Are you aware that roughly 20% of Americans who suffer from an anxiety disorder are also diagnosed with substance abuse or alcohol disorder? And did you know that 20% of those who are diagnosed with substance abuse or alcohol disorder also have an anxiety disorder?
If you know anyone, it could be a friend or a family member, who suffers from either anxiety or substance abuse disorder, do reach out to these people because they need all the help they can get. When you do get to talk to them and refer them to a refer them to rehab In Charlotte they can be guided, assisted and treated using a wide range of treatment programs that are designed to help them in their journey towards recovery.
Does Anxiety Come Before Substance Abuse Disorder Or The Other Way Around?
The most commonly diagnosed disorders in America today are anxiety and substance abuse disorders. According to statistics, substance abuse disorder has a 14.6% lifetime probability rate. Meanwhile, anxiety disorder has a 28% lifetime probability rate.
Almost all patients who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders have also shown symptoms of substance abuse. People can suffer from an anxiety disorder or substance abuse disorder or they can have both. Anxiety symptoms can make substance abuse symptoms worse and vice versa. People diagnosed with anxiety disorders may resort to taking drugs or alcohol as a way of medicating themselves or as a means to improve anxiety symptoms.
Let’s learn about the different types of anxiety disorder:
Social Anxiety Disorder –Alcohol abuse is a common occurrence in individuals who are diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder this is mainly because people who experience social anxiety think that drinking alcohol will help ease their unease but the truth is it will only make their symptoms much worse. Alcohol abuse disorder usually occurs after a person is diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder – This type of disorder can co-occur with substance abuse. Just like social anxiety disorder, people with PTSD or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder turn to drugs and alcohol to ease their feelings of anxiety without realizing that it will only intensify the symptoms.
Panic Disorder – Do you know that drugs and alcohol can lead to panic attacks? When a person is diagnosed with a panic disorder he or she is likely to experience a substance abuse disorder relapse. Alcohol abuse can happen before or simultaneously with panic disorder.
How Are These Treated?
You can’t treat these disorders at home. You’ll need a reputable rehab center and seek healthcare professionals in Charlotte NC for help to be able to overcome substance abuse and to effectively manage your anxiety and panic attacks. You can’t treat one disorder in the hopes of eliminating the other. The treatment plan should target both substance abuse disorder and anxiety disorder at the same time to minimize the chances of the patient going into a relapse.
Individuals who have substance abuse and anxiety disorders are at high risk for abuse when they are prescribed with medications, which is why medical doctors should only prescribe drugs with very low abuse potential, drugs that are considered safe just in case the patient falls into a relapse.
If you want to help someone overcome their struggles with these disorders refer them to treatment centers in Charlotte. This center offers highly effective treatments and uses a combination of therapies to alter the way a person thinks and changes his or her behavioral patterns.