Most theories about drug addiction postulate that stress is the root cause of addiction in 90 percent of individuals. It not only increases drug use, but also causes relapse in recovered individuals. Even though the underlying mechanism is not very clear, stress has a significant impact on addictive behaviors. In order to understand more about the link between stress and drug addiction, you should also know how your body copes with stress, and how it causes addiction.

What is Stress and How it Affects You

The term stress refers to a complex process that involves interpretation and adaptation to challenging events in your life. It produces emotions like anger, fear, and sadness depending on the specific situation. Studies about drug addiction and its relation to stress reveal that the ability to cope with stress differs from one individual to another. The perception of the challenging event mainly depends on the brain circuits that process the information and determine the meaning and importance of the event. In fact, the same areas of the brain are affected and undergo similar changes when you are addicted to drugs.

Whenever your body is exposed to stress, neurotransmitters like Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and ACTH are released in the brain. They are responsible for the fight or flight response during a stressful event. Most drugs also show a similar response when it reaches the brain and inhibits stressful emotions.

How Stress is Related to Addiction

The use of drugs decreases the stress and it turns in to an effective coping strategy in course of time. As a result, individuals with poor coping ability use drugs to reduce emotional distress and enhance mood. The feelings of pleasure from drug use add to the problem.

Drugs like heroin prevent the release of neurotransmitters when you face a stressful event in your life. Thus, a person gets addicted to it due to repeated use of the drug in order to combat stress. When the effects of the drug diminish, withdrawal symptoms may appear. During this stage, the body loses its ability to reduce stress and more stress hormones are released. Moreover, the emotions perceived by the person will be unpleasant. This will in turn stimulates the intake of more drugs to get rid of these emotions. Thus the body will become highly dependent on drugs eventually. Almost all drugs increases body’s sensitivity to stress in different ways. Certain drugs like cocaine also stimulate the reward center of the brain.

About Drug Addiction and Stress Treatment

• Regular Exercise Program

Relaxation techniques are the best way to get rid of stress which is one of the root causes of the addiction. Any activity that makes your muscles relaxed can help you to beat stress as well as addiction. Take deep breaths, hold it for a few seconds and exhale slowly. Roll your neck to relax the neck muscles. Stretch all the muscles in the body. These are a few techniques that can relax your body and mind. Meditation also has an important role in relieving stress by acting on your mind. Activities that use large amounts of physical energy such as running, jogging, and swimming are also ideal.

• Counseling

Based on your personal needs, choose from group or individual therapy to attain maximum results. Counseling gives you an insight deep into your problem and tackle addiction problem effectively. Your body and mind will work together to facilitate relief from stress. Once the root cause is identified and treated, medications are also added to the treatment program to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms. A good knowledge about drug addiction and its effects on your body is also necessary for effective treatment without a relapse.