Traumatic events affect people in many different ways. Some individuals are able to work through their tragic event, but sometimes others have more trouble being able to move past their horrors.
In some people, acute stress disorders can be developed as a reaction to their event. This causes them to feel anxiety and disassociation for long periods of time. Sometimes, because of this feeling of not being able to relax, those with the disorder turn to substances to help them.
If you or a loved one is suffering from acute stress and addiction, it is important to understand how acute stress works within a person and how it interacts and can further addiction.
What is Acute Stress?
Acute stress disorder is characterized by severe anxiety and dissociative symptoms.
Stress is common in day to day life. Being stressed about projects being due, taxes, jobs, and relationships are all something that people deal with throughout their lives. Unfortunately, stress can be very dangerous to people’s health, especially to those with stress disorders.
As described by the PTSD: National Center for PTSD of the US Department of Veterans, having an acute stress disorder means that the person in question has severe anxiety and dissociative symptoms. This stress and anxiety occurs a soon after the person experiences a traumatic event.
The stress occurs as a response to the event. It creates a feeling like the person cannot relax and is constantly under pressure and stress, making them seem tense and moody.
How Does Addiction Affect Acute Stress?
Having this constant stress makes it easy to turn to substances in order to feel better and to relax oneself. However, addiction can occur very fast, as the traumatized person feels the need to keep indulging in their substance, as their anxiety rarely goes away without professional help.
Once they start using substances, they become addicted which can lead them to feeling more stressed and have more anxiety. This leads them to wanting more of their substance to calm down, and then they are stuck in a cycle of trying to destroy their stress with something that is a main cause for it happening.
It is important for those diagnosed with acute stress disorders to know the affect substance abuse can do to them personally. Instead of turning toward addiction, they need to turn toward professional help, but they won’t do that unless they can understand what is happening to them.
That is why it is important to not remain ignorant of how disorders can be affected by substance abuse.
Acute stress disorder can be life consuming even without the addiction added to it. Don’t let acute stress disorder get out of control with substance abuse. If you or a loved one is suffering from acute stress and addiction call 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to talk to a professional that will help you plan out the next steps needed in order to tackle both the disorder and the substance abuse.
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