At times, anxiety can have a negative affect on your life, work, relationships, and overall mental wellness. If it seems like your anxiety has gone beyond the occasional racing heart before a crucial presentation or the sweaty palms before a big game, you might be wondering how to take the edge off your anxiety. There is a strong connection between self medicating with drugs and alcohol and chronic anxiety. However, there are many effective treatments that can reliably combat anxiety in all its forms without resorting to prescription medicine or substance abuse

Taking the Edge Off: Self-Medicating for Anxiety

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Your hands are shaking, your heart is racing, and your mind feels foggy. You just can’t think, and you feel really uncomfortable. We’ve all been there. It’s normal to feel a little nervous before a big test, a first date, or right before you run onto the field to play your cross town rival. That feeling of unease–the one that makes your heart race and your head spin–is called anxiety. 

And while we all experience anxiety from time to time, for most of us, it’s just a passing feeling of unease. But if you find that anxious feeling is hard to shake, you may be experiencing chronic anxiety. If this feels like you, you’re not alone. One out of every 20 teens suffers from extreme worry or panic attacks.

What Is Self-Medicating For Anxiety

Because chronic anxiety is hard to ignore, people who struggle with untreated anxiety seek relief in one of two ways. They tend to seek prescription medication or try their hand at “self-medicating” by using mind-altering substances like drugs and alcohol to “take the edge off” or numb their anxious minds.

Young adults with panic and social anxiety disorders are especially likely to develop alcohol dependence and abuse problems. The American Addiction Center states that anxious teens are three times as likely to use marijuana and twice as likely to use alcohol and tobacco than their same-aged peers. Ever heard the term double the trouble? Once a teen resorts to self medicating, you have two problems to tackle instead of one. 

Self Medicating With Drugs And Alcohol

While most people with anxiety report that self-medication helps reduce panic or severe anxiety in the moment, alcohol and drug use can make anxiety worse over time. When a teen uses an unhealthy coping strategy to treat chronic anxiety, like drugs and alcohol, it can trigger more anxiety by putting strain on existing social relationships or threatening job security or academic performance–all of which creates more anxiety. As the anxiety builds and you turn more and more to drugs or alcohol to subdue your anxiety, you begin a vicious cycle that becomes harder and harder to balance. 

The intertwined nature of anxiety and substance abuse makes treatment extremely difficult and dangerous in four different ways:

  1. The dual diagnosis anxiety and substance abuse patients are often unpredictable and volatile. 
  1. People with anxiety disorders have a higher rate of relapse and more severe withdrawal symptoms. (The “12 Step Program” and other traditional substance abuse programs are also less effective in this population.) 
  1. The anxiety caused by substance abuse patterns triggers the need to further self-medicate, completing the self-destructive cycle of “comorbid” disorders.
  1. Persistent drug and alcohol use can lead to severe mental health disorders like schizophrenia or an increased risk of suicide.

Because anxiety and substance abuse is so difficult to treat, professionals that treat this population must have expertise in dual diagnosis cases. An integrated therapy approach that incorporates talk therapy with experiential, nature-based therapy can have a higher rate of success than other single-approach programs.

It is best not to delay treatment for severe anxiety, especially in these cases of dual diagnosis. The sooner treatment is started, the more effective it is likely to be. When it comes to treatment, finding one that forces an individual to deviate from routine can be helpful. Many people have found success by taking a therapeutic gap year. A gap year experience for mental health can help in many ways, one of which is by removing the triggers and breaking the self-medication cycle.

Get more information on anxiety and anxiety disorders and how to manage them, download our free white paper “Young Adult Anxiety”.

If You’re A Parent And Your Child Is Self-Medicating

It’s difficult to watch a child who is struggling and yet feel powerless to help. Don’t lose hope! Here is a list of practical tips that parents can do to help a child who is struggling with anxiety.

Educate Yourself

Of all the tips in this section, this one is perhaps the most important. Marie Curie once said, “Nothing in life is to be feared–it is only to be understood.” You can only advocate for your child if you understand what he or she is up against. Becoming familiar with symptoms and treatments of anxiety will help you develop compassion and understanding as you try to help your child navigate these tricky waters. Read books, talk to experts, subscribe to podcasts about anxiety, and if possible work with a professional. Be wary, however, of “over-diagnosing” your child via the internet.

Practice Self Care

This tip is almost as important as the first item on this list. You’ll notice that these first two tips have nothing to do with your child, and everything to do with you! Taking care of an anxious child can be exhausting, and burn out and depression is real. Take time for yourself and develop health routines that are energizing and bring you joy. 

Practice Active Listening

Just listen without judgment. Don’t try to fix the problem or offer advice; don’t assume that you know what your child feels like. Practice active listening, which is simply affirming what your child says by stating it back to him or her. Maintain eye contact and look to communicate through touch in simple ways, like patting their back or offering a hug.

Encourage Treatment

Anxiety is highly treatable. Proper treatment is essential to overcoming chronic anxiety and substance abuse. The sooner you can start therapy and work with a professional, the better. Therapy can take on many different forms, and it’s important to find what works best for you and your child. Treatments can range from mindfulness practices to regular visits with a counselor or therapist to taking a gap year and entering into a nature-based adventure program. The right fit all depends on your child’s personality and specific needs.

Look For The Good

While it might be easy to always see what is going wrong, take time to find what your child is doing right and give them some authentic praise. This will help you keep the lines of communication open while also helping to boost your child’s self-esteem.

Don’t Be Stingy On Praise

Sincere and honest compliments can really help to lift the spirit. Don’t be afraid to “catch” your child doing good and praise their efforts. 

Spend Time

Do fun things together that you both enjoy. Laughter and being outside are some of the best ways to relieve anxiety.

Be A Friend

Let them know that you are available to help. Practice active listening, and do your best to reserve judgment and criticism. Let them know that you love them–this is something that does not change even when going through a difficult situation. 

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Tips For Managing Your Anxiety

While anxiety can seem overwhelming at times, there are lots of ways to calm the mind that don’t require drugs, alcohol, or medication. Try one or a few of these to see which one works best. 

Breathe

Concentrating on one’s breath by counting how long it takes to inhale and exhale distracts the mind and calms emotions. Breathe slowly. Count to five as you inhale. Hold for five. And exhale for five. Exhalation forces the heart rate to slow down, forcing the body to relax and release muscle tension.

Meditate

Mediation produces a deep state of relaxation and quiets the mind as you learn to focus your attention on a single thought and eliminate outside distractions. There are many apps that offer guided meditation to fit every personality and time constraint. Quick, and easy, medication is a tried and true way to relieve stress no matter where you are.

Journal

Anxiety spirals out of control when we allow ourselves to get “stuck” on our thoughts or fears. The physical act of journaling can “unstick” your thoughts and somehow, seeing them on paper apart from you, makes your fears seem less real. Journaling, like talk therapy, helps you process your thoughts and move through the emotions they create as you write. Try journaling for 10 minutes when you feel anxious or afraid. 

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive Behavior Therapy, or CBT, has proven to be enormously helpful. During this type of therapy, a patient is exposed to the ideas that cause them anxiety a little bit at a time. As they “expose” themselves to the things they fear, anxiety seems to shrink and lose its hold. It is human nature that we become desensitized to the things that we see and do on a regular basis. The same holds true for anxiety and CBT–over time your fears will become unremarkable and lose their uniqueness. 

Exercise

Get outside and exercise. Even just a quick walk around the block can clear the mind and ground you in the present tense. When you worry, it’s almost always about something that will happen in the future. Focusing on the present will shift your attention today, and loosen anxieties grip on your thoughts.

Redirect The Mind

If you feel anxious thoughts begin to swirl, consciously redirect your mind and attention to an activity that you find pleasurable but will also require concentration. For example, if you enjoy playing an instrument and you feel your anxiety brewing, stop what you are doing and go play. As your mind must focus to play, anxiety will lose its hold, and you will also experience a bump in mood as pleasurable activities release endorphins. 

As you can see, there are more effective and healthy ways to deal with anxiety than drugs. In fact, the more tools you have at your disposal, the easier it will be to beat anxiety at its own game and win the war of the mind once and for all. 

If you found any of these ideas helpful, and are looking for more information, download our white paper Young Adult Anxietyfor more advice and help on navigating this tricky mental health challenge. 

Nature-Based Adventure Programs To Treat Anxiety

Anxiety and anxiety disorder are common mental health issues for young adults. If left untreated, these conditions can lead to self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse, social isolation, and poor self esteem. That said, anxiety is also highly manageable. Remember that it is okay to ask for help from family, friends, or from a professional. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, it is necessary to embrace a change in scenery. That’s where gap year opportunities and  Adventure Therapy programs can support struggling young adults by providing them with a unique opportunity. 

While talk therapy is still a popular option for those who struggle with anxiety, it is not the only option available or even the most effective. Pure Life’s Adventure Therapy program is an experience-based therapy where youth will experience nature and adventure as part of their therapy. Unlike any other wilderness adventure therapy, Pure Life’s program is a holistic approach to therapy that encompasses nature, adventure, individual talk therapy, good nutrition practices, yoga or other mindful practices, and daily physical activity. It can be used as a therapeutic gap year program or programs for gap year students.

Want to know more? Download our white paper to discover how you and your young adult can find help. We cover everything from how to identify chronic anxiety to how to help your child manage anxiety disorders to getting all the nitty gritty details about how our holistic nature-based adventure program works to treat anxiety.

If you want more information on anxiety and anxiety disorders and how to manage them, download our free white paper “Young Adult Anxiety”. 

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This white paper was sponsored by Pure Life, a research-based Wilderness Adventure Therapy program for young adults, located in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Pure Life offers safe, effective, and clinically-sophisticated treatment options for young adults.

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