Stress and Addiction

Here is some interesting information I found regarding the relationship between stress and addiction:

"Research and population surveys have shown that persons under stress , particularly chronic stress, tend to exhibit more unhealthy behaviors than less-stressed persons. Stressed people drink more alcohol, smoke more, and eat less nutritious foods than non-stressed individuals. Many people report drinking alcohol in response to various types of stress, and the amount of drinking in response to stress is related to the severity of the life stressors and the individuals' lack of social support networks.

While some research studies show that alcohol in low doses may lessen the body's response to stressors, paradoxically, many studies show just the opposite effect, i.e., that alcohol actually increases the stress response by stimulating production of the same hormones the body produces when under stress."

source: www.medicine.net

Stress Reduction Habits:

· Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night.

· Get regular daily exercise.

· Eat well balanced, healthy meals, in appropriate quantities, preferably eating smaller portions more frequently in the day, to help maintain even blood sugar.

· Take at least 30 minutes to yourself once a day. Relax, meditate, leave daily problems behind. Let this be a time when you can 'clear your thoughts' and allow your body to let go of unwanted stress signals (sore, tense muscles, headaches, body aches, etc.)

· Maintain a sense of humor. Make a special effort, if needed to see the funny, silly, truly amusing events that do happen around you daily.

· Prioritize your chores. Decide what is really important and what is really unnecessary.

· Allow yourself to 'simplify'. Let go of the extra work, or tasks, that stress you too much, and benefit you little.

· Find ways to give and receive care to and from others in your life. Make this a daily part of your living.

· Develop or nurture a strong, positive support group for yourself. You may want to join various support groups in your community if you do not have a support group at present.

· Recognize that even the most stressful feelings, will change, and you will feel better, given time, and healthy self care.

· When applying this to addictive problems, discover what your triggers are, in terms of stress, and then develop ways to avoid that type of stress, or problem solving strategies for issues that need immediate resolution, to reduce as much stress as possible in these situations.

· Prioritize your problems. Just take the most important one, at a time. Work through it as much as possible, then begin to approach the next issue.

source: Therapist Unlimited