When you first consider the question “does alcohol cause anxiety,” the most obvious answer might be no. Many people rely on alcohol to cope with anxiety because of its relaxing effects. There’s more to it than that, however. Alcohol and anxiety have complex relationships, and alcohol-induced anxiety is a real problem for many people. Someone with a history of substance…
There are complex relationships that can occur between alcohol and ADHD; sometimes, a person might be more prone to abuse alcohol because of these coexisting conditions. In other cases, an individual might develop a polydrug substance abuse disorder because of a combination of medication and alcohol. We talk in more detail below about these relationships between ADHD and alcohol abuse.…
Addiction and eating disorders are considered co-occurring disorders. In addition, a co-occurring disorder occurs along with the addiction. The co-occurring disorder can appear before, simultaneously, or after the addiction. We often use the term dual diagnosis interchangeably with co-occurring disorders. If someone is struggling with a diagnosis of both addiction and an eating disorder, they need specialized treatment. Dual diagnosis…
There is increasing research linking trauma in a person’s childhood to the formation of addiction either in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are strongly correlated to addiction in older adulthood and can manifest earlier in that person’s life into childhood addiction. Exposure to trauma can impact childhood and adolescence development and evolve into addiction at an older…
