In recent years, anxiety has gained a lot of attention in the news and on social media. If you don’t suffer from anxiety, you likely have a friend or family member who does. Unfortunately, men and women suffering from an anxiety disorder also face an increased risk of developing substance abuse or addiction. For some, addiction occurs when the individual attempts to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. For others, the substance abuse comes first, and anxiety follows. If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse and anxiety, treatment centers that provide dual diagnosis can offer hope for sobriety and healing.
Anxiety
Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are common, and symptoms can vary from person to person.
Frequently Asked Questions About Anxiety
Everyone knows what it’s like to experience stress in response to a trying circumstance. Difficulties at home, at work, with one’s health, or in one’s relationships can all spark a period of stress. Anxiety, on the other hand, is stress that continues in the absence of a logical stress-causing factor. Someone suffering from anxiety may feel fear or a sense of impending doom but won’t be able to explain why. In these cases, the stressful feelings are typically the result of an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are common, and symptoms can vary from person to person. However, possible symptoms include:
- Increased heart rate
- Palpitations
- Increased blood pressure
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Sense of impending danger or doom
- Excessive perspiration
- Numbness or tingling in the hands
- Tense muscles
- Dilated pupils
- Chronic fatigue
- Over- or under-eating
- Decreased libido
The body is designed to withstand short-term, occasional stress, but the ongoing stress associated with an anxiety disorder can have negative effects on the body. Anxiety can affect one’s nervous system, respiratory system, immune system, cardiovascular system, and general health. It can also increase the likelihood of substance abuse or addiction.
In the past, professionals sometimes attempted to treat these two conditions separately, tackling either the anxiety or the substance abuse first. However, this method doesn’t allow for the highest probability of success in treating either disorder. Instead, dual diagnosis allows licensed professionals to assess, recognize, and treat both conditions simultaneously. This approach promotes holistic health and lasting recovery while decreasing the likelihood of relapse.
No, dual diagnosis isn’t only for those struggling with substance abuse. Psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, panic attacks, and phobias can also influence behavioral disorders. If you or a loved one struggles with a mental health disorder alongside an eating disorder, sex disorder, gambling addiction, or other impulse control problem, dual diagnosis therapy can be a helpful tool in achieving holistic health and lasting sobriety.
How Hawaii Island Recovery Can Help You Recover from Anxiety
Hawaiian Island Recovery offers men and women an opportunity to recover from anxiety, substance abuse, and behavioral disorders while living on the beautiful island of Hawaii. Our multi-disciplinary, integrative treatment approach allows for accurate assessment, evidence-based therapies, and experiential and holistic therapies, all administered by licensed therapists who are credentialed in their respective specialities. By treating anxiety and the substance abuse disorder or behavioral disorder simultaneously, we are able to promote holistic health of the body, mind, and spirit.