Anxiety and Addiction Treatment in Westlake Village, California

Anxiety disorders can influence an entire person’s life, and they can certainly affect their relationship with addictive substances. Many people in the world are effectively managing anxiety disorders in healthy ways. But it’s extremely common to self-medicate symptoms by drinking alcohol and using drugs.

Other addictive behaviors, such as gambling, gaming, or compulsive shopping, can also develop as maladaptive coping mechanisms for anxiety, providing temporary relief but often leading to negative long-term effects. This isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s an attempt to find temporary relief from underlying health conditions that can sometimes feel impossible to fully manage.

Thankfully, there is help available. Westlake Village Recovery offers support and healing to people working to recover from addiction while coping with anxiety disorders. Anxiety and addiction together can be a formidable challenge. But it is possible to learn healthier coping mechanisms and learn how to manage anxiety (and other mental health disorders) without substance abuse.

Table of Contents

What is an Anxiety Disorder?

Everyone (with the exception of people with disorders that limit their emotions) experiences anxiety as an emotion. It’s a natural reaction to stress or stressful situations. Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions that can involve excessive worry and irrational fear. It is a “hijacking” of this natural protective instinct to a harmful degree.

Anxiety disorders can take many forms. The most common anxiety disorders include:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: This condition centers around having persistent worry
Social Anxiety Disorder: This is a specific mental health condition where someone may feel fear around novel social situations and may feel that they are consistently being watched.
Phobias: A person’s anxiety and/or fear centers on a particular subject (such as snakes or riding in an airplane) and is excessive in terms of strength or effect on the person’s life.
Agoraphobia: The fear centers around novel situations, sometimes resulting in the person not leaving their home or places that they know.
Panic Disorder: Anxiety and fear may result in acute panic attacks, which are often marked by intense fear and overwhelming emotional distress.
Selective Mutism: A person doesn’t speak in certain situations or around certain people due to anxiety.

Trauma can also be a significant contributing factor to the development of anxiety disorders. This includes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where a person feels the impact of a traumatic event (or events) in the form of flashbacks and other associated symptoms. Substance abuse is an acute problem among many veterans for exactly this reason.

Different anxiety disorders may require different levels of help, and there is no universal timeline of treatment. It’s important to recognize when an anxiety disorder is having an adverse effect on people’s lives and when it’s time to seek help. Addressing both substance use and addictive behaviors is crucial for supporting long-term mental well-being. This is where the concept of dual diagnosis treatment comes in, which refers to treating anxiety and addiction together as co-occurring conditions.

Symptoms of a Possible Anxiety Disorder

Many anxiety disorders have highly individual symptoms. But there are a few common symptoms that suggest a person’s anxiety is a disorder that needs treatment:

Excessive and/or persistent fear
Restlessness
Feeling “on edge”
Muscle tension (a common physical symptom of anxiety)
Irritability
Emotional numbness
Difficulty concentrating
Disturbed sleep
Fear/worry that is disproportionate to the trigger
Fatigue
Breathing difficulties
Consistent worry that is interfering with the person’s life

Anxiety disorders can negatively impact physical health as well as mental health.

If you think this describes you or a loved one, reach out to a medical or mental health professional to obtain an official diagnosis. This can help you find support groups and other resources that are specifically designed to help. Operating without an official diagnosis can lead to confusion, improper treatment, and ineffective coping skills when symptoms arise.

Therapist taking notes during a session with someone with anxiety and addiction.

Anxiety’s Relationship to Addiction

Many people resort to self-medication for anxiety symptoms, many without realizing that anxiety and addiction together can be a formidable challenge. This combination often creates a cycle of addictions, where anxiety can drive substance use and addiction, while addiction in turn worsens anxiety symptoms. As anxiety increases, cravings for substances can intensify, making recovery more challenging.

Drug abuse and alcohol dependence may develop as individuals seek relief from anxiety. Someone might have an alcoholic drink before a social situation to ease up, or take an opioid pill before getting on a plane. But over time, this reliance can lead to long-term negative effects on mental health. Drug addiction, whether involving illicit drugs or prescription medications, can further intensify anxiety, cause mood swings, and contribute to the development of anxiety disorders.

It is crucial to address co-occurring disorders (such as anxiety and addiction) together in an integrated treatment plan for better recovery outcomes. Negative thought patterns often fuel both conditions, making it essential to develop healthy coping strategies to break the cycle of addiction and anxiety. It’s not a mark of weakness to self-medicate for mental health conditions. But it doesn’t work long-term, and can lead to even greater problems over time.

Two people looking out from a focus activity centered on anxiety and addiction.

Symptoms of Addiction

There are always specific signs of addiction for individual substances. However, there are universal signs of substance abuse that can emerge regardless of the drug:

Requiring more of a substance to feel an effect (physical tolerance)
Feeling that they “need” a substance to have fun or relax
Weight fluctuations and/or changes in personal appearance
Experiencing withdrawal symptoms (such as shaking hands or disturbed sleep) when not having the substance for a significant amount of time
Not meeting personal or occupational obligations
Not being able to stop using substances, even if the person wants to stop
Most of a person’s time is taken up by buying, using, and recovering from using the substance
Defensiveness at being asked about substance use
Secrecy about time spent or amount consumed
Change in social circles (especially if the new friends use substances)
Using substances in increasingly risky situations, such as while driving or watching children
Difficulty with impulse control, leading to risky or unplanned substance use
Unexpected financial troubles
Social isolation
Continuing to use substances regardless of the effect on the person’s life

If you suspect that you or someone you love is suffering from addiction, seek help from an addiction specialist or medical professional as soon as possible. Recovering from addiction is always easier and more effective early on in the addiction, when physical symptoms during detox may be less intense.

The Value of Dual Diagnosis

Dual diagnosis treatment refers to the integrated approach for individuals who experience both a substance use disorder and a mental health condition, such as anxiety. For those with co-occurring addiction and anxiety disorders, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that addresses both conditions simultaneously to improve recovery outcomes.

There are several treatment options available for dual diagnosis, including therapy (such as CBT, DBT, and EMDR), prescription medications, and support services. Therapy plays a key role in managing anxiety and promoting emotional regulation, which is essential for long-term recovery. These therapies help individuals identify and manage anxiety triggers, reducing the risk of relapse.

Relapse prevention strategies are an essential part of dual diagnosis treatment, helping individuals maintain long-term recovery from both anxiety and addiction. Therapy also teaches coping strategies to manage both anxiety and addiction, empowering individuals to respond to stress and triggers in healthier ways. Prescription medications may be used to treat anxiety or addiction, but it is important to be aware of the potential for physical dependence and addiction (especially with drugs like benzodiazepines) when used improperly or overused.

During detoxification, managing withdrawal symptoms is critical, and medical supervision is often necessary to ensure safety and comfort. In addition to professional treatment, support groups such as AA and NA provide a safe, empathetic environment where individuals can share experiences and receive ongoing support throughout their recovery journey.

Receive Support for Mental Health and Addiction at Westlake Village Recovery

Having a mental health condition doesn’t mean you’re “doomed” to have an addiction. Here at Westlake Village Recovery, we’re used to helping people with mental illnesses recover from addiction. We work to evaluate psychological symptoms during initial evaluations, so it is taken into account during treatment. We know the importance of accounting for mental health while overcoming addiction and the risk of self-medication. Recovery should be sustainable and should account for the important aspects of a person’s life.

Start living free from unmanaged anxiety, and recover from addiction in a way that lasts. Contact us for more information.

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