Today’s intense, fast paced, technology oriented world can be very stressful. Working for a living has never been so difficult or demanding – and when you add parenting and other relationships into the mix, it can become overwhelming. Many people who feel stressed out, resort to drugs and/or alcohol to self medicate and soothe their anxiety and frazzled nerves. For these individuals, anxiety management is a key to long-term alcohol and drug abuse recovery.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults every year – approximately 18% of the U.S. population. These anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse. Effective anxiety management and effective treatment of the co-occurring alcohol or substance abuse require an approach that addresses both issues together.

Anxiety management is about more than just addressing vaguely defined “stress” in people’s lives. Although all anxiety disorders tend to contain the common element of excessive, irrational fear and dread – each specific anxiety disorder has its own symptoms, requiring different approaches to treatment. Specific anxiety disorders include:

• Panic disorder
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Social phobia (or social anxiety disorder)
• Other specific phobias

According to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 20% of Americans with a current anxiety or mood disorder also have a current alcohol or other substance abuse disorder, and about 20% of those with a current alcohol/substance abuse disorder also have a current anxiety or mood disorder. Other studies have put these numbers even higher. Clearly, there is a connection between anxiety disorders and substance abuse for many individuals – and this connection requires coordination between anxiety management and addiction treatment techniques.

The Life Stress Management Program at Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches is designed to develop new strategies and mechanisms for anxiety management. By implementing useful tools such as meditation, mindfulness and breath work, our clients change the way they deal with the issues that cause stress in their daily lives. This enables them to deal with both their anxiety and related substance abuse issues in a much more effective and coherent manner.

Please call us anytime day or night, 24/7 TOLL-FREE at (888) 432-2467 to learn more about our Life Stress Management Program here at Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches.