Even if you don’t think you have much stress in recovery, you may be thinking about why you don’t feel better than you should. Perhaps you wonder about all the stress in your life and think it is just part of life but you are handling it just fine. The root of stressors can be used as a strategy to cope with addiction and stress if you are willing to accept support for it in recovery.
Stress Triggers
Triggers are something people with addiction know a lot about. They deal with them on a daily basis in early recovery because of their brain and body being addicted to drugs. Despite scientific evidence that connects stress to addiction, there remains a disparity between how we view and accept comfort eating, but some still see drug addiction as a moral failing or a poor choice. Both of these are addiction. Any kind of behavior that takes hold of your life is considered an addiction. Substances provide an escape, for a time, but eventually, you need to face the fact you have serious issues to work through around stress if you want to stay in recovery.
Brain Changes
The rational brain is impaired in substance use. The prefrontal cortex experiences some type of impairment of the rational brain that is responsible for thought, critical thinking, and restraint. Exposure to addictive substances also contributes to a loss of self-control because lower dopamine receptors correlates to lower activity in the prefrontal cortex. Even people not hard-wired for addiction can become dependent on drugs when stressed. Your brain is in a different zone under stress. Just because you’re exposed to stress doesn’t mean you’ll acquire substance use disorder. There are many other contributing factors but these stressors lead people to seek solace in drugs and addictive substances to cope.
Handling Stressors
When thinking about how to handle stressors in recovery, it helps to have some simple tools. They can be a go-to when you are wrestling with how to get through stressful situations that arise:
- Stress relieving activities enable you to burn off cortisol. Working out, doing yoga, and lifting weights are great ways to do this
- Processing thoughts and feelings with blogging, journaling, and writing help
- Attend support groups with people you trust and are there for you to express your thoughts openly without judgment
- Find a support group of friends
- Support your body with whole eating and putting healthy things into it
- Get enough sleep at night
- Do relaxation activities that calm the mind and body
Life is challenging and stressful. Drugs will not help you cope in a good way. Stress without drugs makes you more resilient, better able to handle anything life throws at you. If you can find some tools to support your journey in recovery, you can make it one step at a time.
A Step in the Right Direction provides quality care for clients seeking support for addiction recovery. We teach people how to live a sober life through programs, therapeutic support, and evidence-based therapies. Our recovery program is staffed by people who understand the power of addiction. For more information sober living programs for men and women as well as recovery programs, call (877) 377-3702.
