Avoiding Stress May Lead Recovering Drug and Alcohol Addicts to Relapse

Substance abuse is a common mental health issue affecting teens and adults. Recovering from substance abuse is difficult, and it can be made even more difficult by the stresses one faces in daily life. A new study indicates the way in which individuals recovering from a substance abuse problem deal with stress may lead them to feel more cravings, which may in turn lead to relapse.

H. Harrington Cleveland, an associate professor of human development at Penn State University and Kitty S. Harris, the director of the Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech University conducted the study in order to predict the variation in cravings for substances in individuals on a "whim-day" basis. Cleveland asserted that, "Because recovery must be maintained 'one day at a time,' researchers have to understand it on the same daily level."

The research was conducted with 55 college students who were in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. Each students was given a Palm Pilot and asked to record his or her daily cravings for drugs or alcohol, strategies for dealing with stress, and the intensity of the negative social interactions he or she experienced, such as ridicule, insensitivity, interference, and hostility.

The researchers discovered that students experienced more cravings on days in which they experienced stress. Furthermore, the number of cravings experienced on a stressful day doubled for students who were recovering from alcohol and/or drug addiction when they dealt with stress by avoiding it. More specifically, Cleveland stated, "More importantly, we found that the strength of the daily link between experiencing stress and the level of cravings experienced is related to the participants' reliance on avoidance coping." Because cravings are a strong predictor of relapse, according to Cleveland, avoiding stress may indirectly lead to an alcohol or drug use relapse.

Given that individuals recovering from alcohol and drug addiction experience twice the number of cravings on stressful days when they avoid stress rather than using problem solving strategies to deal with it, it seems apparent that learning to deal with stress through problem solving is an important aspect of recovery. Some good problem solving techniques follow.

Challenge Your Assumptions: Increase Your Brain Power suggest challenging your assumptions as a good way to solve problems and deal with stress. For instance, if you need more money, you may assume you will need a second job. Ask yourself if you really need a second job or if there's another way to solve the problem. You could cut your expenses by doing away with unnecessary items, such as cable. You could see if there are any higher paying positions at your current job. Challenging your assumptions may help you think of new ways to solve problems.

Research: Doing some research can also help you solve your problems. For instance, if you need more money, you could research the prices of alternatives to cable, such as Dish or Satellite. You could also research different ways in which you can make extra money that don't involve getting a second job, like running your own business, selling products, writing a blog, and so forth.

Solve Problems Ahead of Time:Life Skills suggests solving problems ahead of time as a good problem solving strategy. Perhaps the most obvious examples where this strategy would be helpful are in emergencies or in natural disasters. If, for example, you live in a place where hurricanes are common, you should know where you can find or seek safety before a hurricane hits. You should also find out where you can take your pet/s to safety if you have any. Additionally, you could plan ahead and have all of your important documents in one place and an emergency bag with clothes and medications packed at all times so that if you need to grab these things in a hurry, you can.

Get Feedback: Sometimes, when we have a problem to solve, the most obvious and simplest solutions can escape us. Thus, another good problem solving strategy is to discuss problems with others and receive feedback about them. If you are having a problem with your child, for instance, you may ask your other friends who also have children for their input. They may have some great ideas you had not thought of yourself.

Evaluate All Solutions Before Choosing the Best: An important part of any problem solving strategy is to evaluate all possible solutions to any given problem before deciding on the best one for you particular situation. If you are someone who is recovering from alcoholism, for instance, and you are experiencing a strong urge to drink alcohol, you can make a list of all the possible solutions to that problem. Include any solution that comes to your mind, whether that solution is healthy or unhealthy. To solve the problem of craving alcohol, you may come up with the following solutions (among others): talk to my sponsor about it, go to an AA meeting for support, give up and drink alcohol, exercise, watch a movie, write in a journal, take a bubble bath, and play an on-line game. Once you've listed all of the possible solutions to the problem you are experiencing, you may choose the one that is best for you, such as going to an AA meeting for support.

A new study reveals that individuals recovering from alcohol and drug addiction who also avoid dealing with stress rather than employing problem solving strategies, experience more cravings, which increases the likelihood of relapse. Instead of avoiding problems, try utilizing the problem solving techniques discussed in this article to help you deal with stress.

Sources:

Psych Central: Stress Can Derail Recovery:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/06/24/stress-can-derail-recovery/14973.html

Life Skills: How to Solve Problems: Constructive Approaches to Improving Problem-Solving Skills:
http://lifeskills.endlex.com/article/solving_problems.html

Increase Your Brain Power: Problem-Solving Techniques:
http://www.increasebrainpower.com/problemsolvingtechniques.html