Unraveling the Link Between Stress and Drug Use

Studies suggest that Americans are 20% more stressed than the global average. That’s right, our fast-paced lifestyle, political situation, and 24-hour news cycle aren’t doing wonders for our mental health. 

Stress has many negative mental and physical effects. It can cause fatigue, depression, weight gain, high blood pressure, and more. It can also influence substance use. 

Stress and drug use are often intertwined. We’re here to talk about the connection between stress and illicit drug use (or even non-illicit drug use). Read on to learn more.

Chronic vs Acute Stress: Does It Matter?

There is a difference between chronic stress and run-of-the-mill stress that everyone experiences.

Acute stress is situational, but it goes away. It could be the result of a bad day at work, a day that’s too full of responsibilities, a minor injury, or anything else that’s upsetting, but tolerable.

Chronic stress is long-term. It can result from childhood trauma, other mental illnesses, or even situations that would otherwise cause acute stress, but last for too long.

For example, if a bad day at work turns into a toxic work environment, acute stress could turn into chronic stress. 

Acute stress doesn’t tend to cause substance abuse. While people may use drugs or alcohol after a hard day, using them to the extent that they get addicted is uncommon. 

Lack of Access to Care

Using alcohol and drugs to combat stress isn’t unheard of, and it’s even often encouraged (how many times have you heard someone say you should have a glass of wine to “take the edge off?”).

Part of this is because there’s so little access to care for many people, and the stigma associated with seeking mental health care is still alive (even if it’s slowly disappearing). 

Many people don’t realize that their chronic stress isn’t normal. They choose to self-medicate instead of seeking care. 

With adequate mental health care, people who experience chronic stress and drug use can instead start developing helpful coping mechanisms. 

Check out this article about one option for care for people struggling with recovery.

Stress and Impulse Control

There is research to suggest that chronic stress is associated with reduced grey matter volume. This means that people who suffer from chronic stress may have poor cognitive control.

This can influence risk-taking or otherwise unhealthy behaviors, like drug use, risky sexual behavior, and overeating. It can also cause people to have difficulty with delayed gratification.

People who experience chronic stress use these things to self-soothe because they lose the foresight to anticipate consequences. In other words, the stress is so great that the possibility of negative consequences seems inconsequential. 

Stress and Drug Use are Intertwined

There’s no doubt that there’s a connection between stress and drug use, and in a society that experiences too much stress as a whole, this is an ever-growing problem. 

If you’re experiencing chronic stress and you’ve found yourself turning to drugs or alcohol for help, reach out to a professional. You can thrive with the right resources.

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