Does Anxiety Increase Risk of Drug Abuse?
The concept suspected by Manitoba researchers and written about in the Vancouver Sun is that those who have anxiety problems are more susceptible to drug abuse.
Another instance of research confirming common sense?
We can see primitive versions of this behavior in others and also in ourselves to varying degrees. We get nervous or anxious about something and that causes us to overeat. That is why they call it “comfort” food. So why wouldn’t the same concept apply to drug use? Of course it does. Instead of food, a person may go for a beer. Wouldn’t the same concept apply to a joint, or a harder drug for some people? It is the same basic concept applied in of these cases – The avoidance or escape from pain!
The human brain is highly addictive. We also know that the two greatest motivators for the human brain are getting pleasure and AVOIDING PAIN.
Feeling anxious is a sort of uncomfortable feeling – and that IS a kind of pain!
“The work by Manitoba researchers writing in the Archives of General Psychiatry, which followed close to 35,000 people, is one of the first to try to answer a longstanding question: Do anxietyridden people self-medicate because they are substance abusers, or do they become abusers because they selfmedicate?
“Self-medication in anxiety disorders confers substantial risk of incident substance abuse disorders,” wrote lead researcher Jennifer Robinson at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and colleagues.”
There you have it! Of course, the researchers are on to something. This is really nothing new. It is obviously a part of human nature. We have all experienced trying to escape from our feelings / problems by turning to chocolate, a drink, or in many cases – something worse. However, some personalities are more prone to doing this than others. I think we all know that is true.
You can always submit your story to this site if you have one to share in this regard. Keep all the information, including your name, anonymous!
Drug addiction is a serious problem. This is just one of the many reasons why!
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