Social Anxiety and Alcoholism

How Do Social Anxiety and Alcoholism Relate?

It is no secret that millions of Americans struggle with social anxiety and alcoholism. In fact, the CDC estimates that around 16% of the US population may abuse alcohol at any given time. People drink for a variety of different reasons. Some find that alcohol provides a calming effect after a long day of work. Others may drink at social functions, such as parties or family reunions.

While many people are able to use alcohol responsibly, even to calm their nerves from time to time, there is a powerful connection between social anxiety and alcoholism that cannot be ignored. Over the past few decades, doctors have found increasing links between social anxiety and alcoholism. Here, we will explore some common questions around alcoholism, including:

  • How does alcohol cause addiction?
  • Why are social anxiety and alcoholism connected?
  • How can I find treatment for social anxiety and alcoholism?

How Does Alcohol Cause Addiction?

Like many other drugs, alcohol alters the way the body functions. When a person drinks for the first time, the brain sends out pleasure/reward signals. This is the “buzzed” feeling people talk about. However, over time alcohol can hijack the brain’s normal functions, making the brain depend on alcohol to function. Instead of sending out pleasure signals, the brain will start to send out distress signals for lack of use. Withdrawal manifests in physical symptoms such as:

  • Anxiety/depression
  • Severe headache
  • Nausea/vomiting
  • Tremors
  • Fatigue/insomnia 
  • Fever

Some of the common warning signs of Alcohol use disorder (AUD) include:

  • Inability to control drinking
  • Drinking interferes with work or family life
  • Loss of interest in hobbies or obligations
  • Continuing to drink even if advised not to by a physician
  • Increased feelings of depression

The Connection Between Social Anxiety and Alcoholism.

Social anxiety disorder is essentially a fear of public places or situations. For some people, this can be a fear of an activity like eating or speaking in public. For others, simply being in a public setting can cause anxiety. Anywhere from 2 to13 percent of the US population is estimated to live with a social anxiety disorder. Of this number, approximately 20 percent experience both social anxiety and alcoholism. Sadly, for many of these patients this social anxiety disorder has gone undiagnosed.

Why People Drink to Ease Anxiety

Drinking, especially in public settings, can become a form of self-medication for patients with social anxiety. This means that the patient only knows that they feel anxious in public, and drinking can calm that feeling. These patients may run a greater risk of developing AUD than others. This is where social anxiety and alcoholism intersect. This can occur for two reasons.

First, people who are unknowingly self-medicating may develop addiction faster. If alcohol is the one substance that makes them feel better, it becomes the go-to problem solver. Second, patients with mental conditions like social anxiety may be genetically vulnerable to forming addiction. Research on this topic is still new. However, some scientists believe that the same genes that cause certain mental conditions also play a role in addiction. If this is true, it is no wonder that patients with social anxiety are particularly vulnerable to AUD.

How Can I Find Treatment?

If you or a loved one is currently living with these conditions and looking for treatment, congratulations! Both AUD and social anxiety disorder are medical conditions, not moral failures. It is not your fault that you are living with these conditions, and programs like ours are well equipped to help. Generally speaking, most recovery programs involve a medically supervised detox followed by long term treatment. Remember that it’s impossible to get “too much help” for a problem. But far too many people make the tragic mistake of not getting enough help. Let’s look at how the process typically works.

Detox

Before long term treatment can begin in full, you must first let your body flush out alcohol from your system. This process is called detoxification, or detox. Depending on your needs, this can either be an outpatient process, or inpatient at a specialty detox center. The safest route is almost always an inpatient detox. The best alcohol rehabs will be closely connected to an inpatient medical detox or may have one onsite. Medical teams will monitor vitals and give you medication as needed to control withdrawal symptoms. This will help you stay comfortable and safe as your body adjusts. This process usually takes 1-2 weeks. The length of detox depends on how much a person is drinking or using, for how long and their relative health and age.

Treatment

Your next step will be treatment in either a partial hospitalization (PHP) or intensive outpatient (IOP) program. Here, you will continue to be monitored physically by qualified medical staff. Most of your day will be spent in individual and group therapy. Therapy helps you learn to identify use triggers and develop coping strategies. Therapists can also work with you to address social anxiety, and learn healthy ways to handle public settings.

You will spend evenings in a sober living house. Sober living offers all of the comforts of home, without the added stress of needing to rely on willpower alone avoiding alcohol use. Most people find the structure provided in sober living so helpful that they may continue to stay there for 6 months or more after treatment is completed.

Recovery in Tune Can Help

If you are ready to take the first step, please contact us today to get started. We accept most major insurance plans. Let us help you live the fulfilling life you deserve!

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