Stress and Drugs

When you get stressed out, what is one of the first things that you typically do? How do you deal with unexpected things that happen in your life such as loss of work, deaths in the family or fights with loved ones? For some people, the answer is temporarily found in drugs and/or alcohol. But is this always the right answer?

There are many who would speculate that drugs and alcohol is most often (if not always) the result of some sort of trauma or stress-related incident. The truth of the matter is that drugs and alcohol seldom solve anything. In fact, drug and alcohol abuse does more to break up families, and cause all sorts of problems on top of whatever stress you may be feeling. The next time you are feeling stressed out, try to get to the root of what is bothering you. Figure out possible solutions to your problem on your own. The same money that you would spend on alcohol or drugs, take it and use it towards seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist. These people are skilled in being able to help those who are struggling with internal issues. Additionally, it is important to remember not to isolate yourself. Do you have any friends that you can call on for help?

Often times, when we are struggling or stressed out- or if we have drug problems, it can often be difficult to reach out to others who are there to help us. Little do we know that there are plenty of people out there who care about us and want to see us do well. It takes a lot of courage and honesty to admit that you have a problem- especially when the admittance is to a close friend or a family member. We are often afraid that we will be judged or somehow rejected. Therefore, as a result, many people keep their problems to themselves. There are also those who struggle with denial. They don't want to (and haven't) admit to themselves that there is a serious problem going on. Therefore, why would they need the help if there's nothing wrong.

It is so incredibly important that we don't isolate ourselves from other people- especially those that we love. In a lot of cases, you need to stop and remind yourself that no matter how bad your situation is, there is ALWAYS someone out there who is worse off than you. This isn't meant to be a selfish thing, but rather, it is meant to teach you to appreciate all that you have and to always think of others. In fact, many therapists would suggest that those who are easily stressed get volunteer jobs because when you're volunteering to help someone else, you are too busy to worry about things. You will ultimately feel better about your overall situation if you can find other more creative ways to give back to others who are worse off than you. This isn't to say that your problems aren't important. You still need to deal with your problems without the use of drugs and alcohol. It's just that by helping others, you will help yourself.