Recovery awareness month - Coping with stress and substance use

by Megan Maurer, PMHNP-BC

You had a hard day at work and are stuck in traffic. Once you get home after a long, difficult job, there is chaos from a family issue. The stress is just mounting. What you do next may affect your mental health positively or negatively. Either way, there is help available to get through those kinds of situations.

Everyone uses different coping mechanisms to get through hard or stressful times, or even just a regular day. Some people may turn toward exercise, watching television, yoga, or talking to friends. Some people may turn to other things – such as alcohol, marijuana, or other substances to take the edge off or escape. The correlation between substance use and decline in mental health was evident during the COVID 19 Pandemic. Many people gravitated towards substance use to cope with the level of stress and isolation experienced. 

Reaching for those substances might seem like a short-term gain for your mental health. In the long run this way to cope can have negative impacts on you and your well-being.  Studies have shown that using substances can impact your mood and overall cognitive functioning. They can also exacerbate your physical well-being too (ie. lethargy, appetite changes, sleep disturbances).

Those that use substances as a coping mechanism to reduce the severity of the symptoms they are experiencing are at risk of developing a dependency. Many substances build tolerances in your body over time which can make it difficult for you or your health care professional to determine what is a symptom of anxiety/depression vs. withdrawal symptoms.

For example, cannabis withdrawal may lead to symptoms of irritability, restlessness, feeling on edge, difficulty concentrating, mood changes, changes in appetite, and sleep disturbances. Many symptoms associated with these withdrawal indications also mirror those of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and ADHD. This similarity makes diagnoses and treatment more difficult.

Prescribed medications from your provider may be used to reduce the severity of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Medication that providers may use can treat many of the underlying diagnoses that are often associated with frequent substance use, without developing a dependency in the body. Therapy can also help to teach other behavioral changes used for recovery.

Talking about substance use with health care professionals can be a daunting experience, given the judgement and negative stigma often associated. The truth for many is that life can just get hard. Most people are just trying to get through their days or find some way to escape.

If you find yourself struggling with your mental health or notice increase in substance use, Behavioral Health Partners (BHP) can be your first step in treatment. BHP is brought to you by Well-U, offering eligible individuals mental health services for stress, anxiety, and depression.

To schedule an intake appointment, please call 585-276-6900.

References

Connor, J. P., Stjepanović, D., Budney, A. J., Le Foll, B., & Hall, W. D. (2022). Clinical management of cannabis withdrawal. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 117(7), 2075–2095. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15743

Davis, A., McMaster, P., Christie, D.C. et al. Psychiatric Comorbidities of Substance Use Disorders: Does Dual Diagnosis Predict Inpatient Detoxification Treatment Outcomes? Int J Ment Health Addiction 21, 3785–3799 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00821-1

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP21-07-01-003, NSDUH Series H-56). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/
Sultan, R. S., Zhang, A. W., Olfson, M., Kwizera, M. H., & Levin, F. R. (2023). Nondisordered Cannabis Use Among US Adolescents. JAMA network open, 6(5), e2311294. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11294

Temple, J. R., Baumler, E., Wood, L., Guillot-Wright, S., Torres, E., & Thiel, M. (2022). The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Use. The Journal of adolescent health: official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 71(3), 277–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.05.025

 

Jim Riggs | 9/1/2024

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