Stress leading to an Addiction

Stress and Addiction

Stress has been frequently blamed for addiction relapse vulnerability and addiction development. Addiction relapse vulnerability is the fragility of bodily organs due to their inability to perform regular body functions in the absence of the abused drug. The progressive increase in craving for the abused chemical is the development of addiction (Wyss, Boesch, Roos, Tschopp, Frei, Annen, & La, December 01, 2016).

Addiction to drugs may be caused by faulty impulses within the body. However, addiction development can lead to chronic stress as the body tries to survive without the abused drug, and the procedure of procuring the drug can add to the stress.

Preclinical research outcomes

Preclinical research outcomes have demonstrated that exposure to stress and stressful conditions enhances reinstatement to drug seeking and self-drug administration inexperienced animals. Apart from that, a series of studies based on the population and epidemiology have pointed out specific stress agents and individual variables that can be used to predict substance use and abuse. Corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) which are alterations of accumulated adversity, the autonomic arousal, the central noradrenergic systems, the extrahypothalamic CRF, child maltreatment and effects of the deleterious early life stress are presented (Westhoff, Marschall & Debate, January 01, 2016).

The underlying pathophysiology that is associated with stress-related risks of addiction are the pathways discussed as the effects of the alterations of the CRF and HPA. The effects that these changes bear on the corticostriatal-limbic motivational, adaptation systems and learning are also discussed. The adjustment systems involved includes mesolimbic dopamine, gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) and glutamate.

Introduction

Stress is a counter-reaction that is directed towards a stimulus interfering with the mental or physical state of stability within the human body. Stress upsets the reproductive, immune and the digestive system. The disruption may lead to stroke, high risk of heart attack, increase in blood pressure and a rapid boost in the aging process. Under severe stress conditions, the body will be left vulnerable to attack by physical and health diseases. In the occurrence of a stressful event, a hormonal reaction response is triggered to release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that surges through the body. On the other hand, addiction is the relapsing and chronic brain disease that results in the compulsive psychological need and use of a substance that results to a habit.

Stress being a health or physical condition

There is no distinctive answer to such question as the category of stress depends on the practical encounter. The situation onto which someone finds himself helps them clarify the correct view of their reply to such an open query. To make it easier to comprehend, a health condition is one that takes place within a person’s body. The latter is entirely a myth and a misconception of the situation. Precisely, a health condition is one that requires medical attention or the attention of someone that has medical ranking and privileges. Say, a malfunction in the body of the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes. The latter is an internal health condition that requires a medical response, so it’s a health condition. When HPG and HPA are the causes of a patient’s stress, then the kind of stress that the patient is undergoing is health related.

There may also be other circumstances where a person is stressed out because they are stuck in traffic yet they are late for work, this is the form of stress that is termed as a physical stress condition. There may also be the instance where a student is stressed up because he/she isn’t prepared for a forthcoming exam, or rather the student is supposed to sit for examinations, yet there are pending fee arrears. In the actual sense, stress is situation oriented, so the kind of situation that a person finds him/herself entangled defines the type of stress involved.

Causes of Stress

Stress being an inevitable and normal part of life, there are several factors that lead to its encounter. It is normal because at some point in life, we all experience that situational or emotional breakdown. The emotional breakdown leads to the activation of stress responses that triggers the body to release hormones that counter the reaction. Being that stress comes in different forms, the variations make it easy for other people to scamper over it while tough for others as they get overwhelmed by the situations in which they find themselves intertwined. While others have defined methodologies of reacting to stress physically, others have none known to them. The most effective way to cope with stress is through taking part in regular exercises. This method is most effective because apart from just aiding in solving stress related issues, it also has other health benefits.

The human eating and appetitive habits are regulated by the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes. When the HPG and the HPA systems have a reduced interaction, there is the maintenance of reduced regulation in eating and appetitive behaviors. The poor co-ordination between HPA and HPG is attributed to the neuro-endocrine, potential molecular and hormonal mechanisms involved. The latter’s interaction gives detailed explanations of the differences in both the resilience and risk to various addictions.

Connection between Substance abuse and stress

There are several ways in which connection between stress and substance abuse is established. In the event individual experiences an emotional breakdown and lacks a means to settle the score, the inability to cope with the stress leads them to substance abuse. A person may resort to drug abuse in the hopes of solving the inner inability to deal with the unrelenting situation at hand but paving the way for the development of new issue in the same instance. The pain of not being in the position to solve the problem at hand makes them beat themselves up by consuming or abusing drugs. The continuous picking of the same impulsive decision in different intervals leads to a chronic addiction to a substance that may alter the normal functioning of the systems of the body.

Just as mentioned earlier, people have different ways of responding to the same stimuli both internal and external; in the same manner that others resort to taking strenuous exercises to take their heads out of the stressful zones, others resort to staying in the comfort of substance abuse. After having stayed in this comfort zone and felt the temporarily disillusioned escape from the real issues weighing them down, they develop a positive attitude towards the use of drugs. They form a falsified judgment that the drugs they use can get them out of any stressful zone that locks them. The clouded judgment makes them choose to use the drugs every time they are caught in stressful situations. The problem with this form of response is that the drugs are used whether or not the issue at hand is severe. The continuous use of these drugs time and again leads to a chronic addiction.

When the interaction between the HPG and the HPA is poor, then the regulation of a person’s eating and appetitive systems is negatively interfered with (Westhoff, Marschall & Debate, January 01, 2016). The interference causes a rapid increase in the person’s hunger levels. The person then tends to adopt new habits of over-eating leading to food addiction. The increase in the hunger levels within the person is viewed as a stress-related risk that needs a solution. The body develops a counter mechanism as a reaction to the risk posed to the body. The hunger is the outcome of the counter mechanism developed by the body. The over feeding habit that the person develops is an external response towards the inward state.

Also, stress may also be related to health disorders that are mental such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. The mental conditions are connected to drug and alcohol abuse (Pallesen, Dahlgaard & Fjorback, January 01, 2016). Notably, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder mostly affects combat veterans and accident victims. The continued use of drugs to counter the mental disorder leads to addiction. The compulsions and cravings that a person may have towards drugs to counter a stress related stimulus are likely to manifest themselves through stress.

Managing stress

Stress management is the positive steps towards settling addiction scores. There are several ways to manage stress. Managing stress involves taking positive steps towards the elimination of substance abuse or rather relapse. The positive steps also include creating a healthy lifestyle and making the necessary changes to that effect. Effective elimination of substance abuse can only be achieved if the patient establishes a consultative relationship with the mental health professionals (Pallesen, Dahlgaard & Fjorback, January 01, 2016). Patients involved can have a successful substance abuse recovery if they are perfectly aware of the correct methodologies on how to achieve the recovery state.

Patients that have substance addiction issues need to know the exact point to seek help regarding their situations. If the patient over feeds then they need to know the causative agent of their stress. Afterward, they need to know how to get rid of their stressful decisions by finding the best possible ways to exit the unhealthy comfort zones. It may be serious if the patient waits for the conditions to get worse before seeking help. The effective ways to get help faster is to get instantaneous help when the conditions are still mild (Westhoff, Marschall & Debate, January 01, 2016).Under such conditions, it is both comfortable for the patient and the examiner to help each other at this point.

Management of the underlying stressful conditions is another way of managing stress. Stress is sometimes prone to manifest itself through variable conditions. The impact that stress has on one’s life is a good way to know the level of stress that a patient is undergoing. It is a therapist’s work to make a patient feel safe, feel safe and get into controlled circumstances (Pallesen , Dahlgaard & Fjorback , January 01, 2016). The physician accesses the patient’s condition and recommends the prerequisite treatment. In the case of Post Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD), it is recommended that the doctor puts the patient under therapy. The therapy helps reduce symptoms of PTSD. The therapy also helps the patient to feel at ease in situations that seem more stressful. In some instances, the recommendation of a comprehensive treatment plan through the use of antidepressants may also be advisable or other medications.

Patients that are at the risk of heavy alcohol and drug abuse are those that are at the peak of stress. Living under chronic stress conditions may be quite impalpable. The best advisable means to improve the conditions is to seek attention from qualified physicians before resorting to any decisions that may prove futile but very dangerous to their health conditions. In other words, abstinence from drug and substance abuse may the most way to deal with chronic stress (Thomas & In Price, 2016). This is because in peak chronic stress conditions, it is easy for a person to develop habitual conditions. So, it is advisable to keep away from drugs since the body is vulnerable to addiction.

It is also advisable to take lessons on life skills that may be handy in solving the condition at hand. Apart from that, enrolling for gym and yoga classes may help relieve stress. Through strenuous exercises, one relieves his/her mind in the process. Relieving the mind is a positive step towards getting rid of stress as it relaxes the mind and helps the person to stop thinking a lot (Cheng, January 01, 2016). If the relationship between the yoga teacher and the gymnasium attendant is good, the person involved can seek assistance from the attendants. There is a trick that can be used to counter stress is through mediation. The mediation process involves taking your mind and maintaining it concentrates on what’s important at the particular moment and trying to forget other issues.

Conclusively, knowing the causative agent of stress and establishing the relationship between stress and addiction helps psychologists to administer efficient therapeutic aid. The variations and the myths underlying stress and addiction are better understood before embarking on giving therapy sessions to clients. On the other hand, it is also advisable for people at the peak of stress to know the possible responsive strategies to their situations. This is a positive way to prevent the occurrence of serious addiction conditions that may arise from the clouded judgment that is stress related.

References

Cheng, F. K. (January 01, 2016). What Does Meditation Contribute to Workplace? An Integrative Review. Journal of Psychological Issues in Organizational Culture, 6, 4, 18-34.

In Thomas, Y. F., & In Price, L. S. N. (2016). Drug use trajectories among minority youth. Dordrecht: Springer.

Pallesen, K. J., Dahlgaard, J., & Fjorback, L. (January 01, 2016). Mindfulness for the Treatment of Stress Disorders.

Westhoff, M.-A., Marschall, N., & Debatin, K.-M. (January 01, 2016). Novel Approaches to Apoptosis-Inducing Therapies.

Wyss, T., Boesch, M., Roos, L., Tschopp, C., Frei, K. M., Annen, H., & La, M. R. (December 01, 2016). Aerobic Fitness Level Affects Cardiovascular and Salivary Alpha-Amylase Responses to Acute Psychosocial Stress. Sports Medicine - Open, 2, 1, 1-11.