National Stress Øut Week, Nov. 8–14

National Stress Øut Week, Nov. 8–14
National Stress Øut Week Spotlights Connection Between Anxiety Disorders and Substance Abuse—and What to Do About It
November 8–14, 2010

A recent scientific study finds alcohol as the most harmful of all drugs. But for many people, a glass of wine with dinner or a few drinks at a party is no cause for concern.
However, people with an anxiety disorder who use alcohol or other substances to alleviate their symptoms may actually make their anxiety worse. And it can be a vicious cycle: The symptoms of one disorder can make the symptoms of another worse.

During National Stress Øut Week, November 8–14, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) encourages you discover the difference between everyday stress and an anxiety disorder; take time to relax and unwind; and find help for anxiety, substance abuse, and other disorders.

Seven out of ten adults in the United States say they experience stress or anxiety daily, and most say it interferes at least moderately with their lives. About one-third report persistent stress or excessive anxiety daily or that they have had an anxiety or panic attack. It isn’t unusual for those with social anxiety disorder, PTSD, panic , or other anxiety disorders to drink excessively to cope with symptoms or try to escape them.

Murray Stein, MD, MPH, and John Walker, PhD, write in Triumph Over Shyness: Conquering Social Anxiety Disorder that social anxiety disorder “frequently travels in the company of other emotional difficulties” such as alcohol or drug abuse, depression, and other anxiety disorders.

Those with an anxiety disorder—some 40 million adults in the U.S.—are two to three times more likely to have an alcohol or other substance abuse disorder at some point in their lives than the general population.

This is true for about 20 percent of American adults with an anxiety or mood disorder. And about 20 percent of those with an alcohol or substance abuse disorder also have an anxiety or mood disorder.

http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/national-stress-%C3%B8ut-week

I'm a South East Ga. Girl Home Page

I'm a South East Ga. Girl Home Page

Anxiety. The Monster inside me..

I have always heard people talk about their anxiety and panic attack's. I never understood them and always thought they were just full of it. Well IT IS NOT A GAME and is very serious.

I too suffer from anxiety.
One day it hit from no where and I thought i was going to die! This feeling lasted for two hours. I ended up at the ER and as soon as I walked in the hospital I was fine. The Dr. asked "how are you feeling?" and I could not for the life of me explain. I thought I was going crazy but tried to tell him the best I could..I do not know why it went away or why it even picked me that day. All I do know is I struggled for weeks and was scared to death to be alone. My feet would sweat, my heart would race and my body felt wierd to where I felt like I was coming out my skin. I know this sounds crazy, believe me I do!
I ended up going to a mental health clinic and as soon as I walked in I felt better. Keep in mind I haven't been on any medication in my whole life (40 yrs that is) for anything. So the Dr. put me a medication. It did not help and the anxiety got worse. Now remember anxiety to me means, the fear of having a PANIC attack. I took this medication for ninteen days and it was driving me crazy and was not helping me at all.
I don't want to take something that makes me feel empty in my head...NO NO NO! I stopped taking it on my own. The day I did't take it I felt better.

Anyhow, I now have a regular Dr. and love her...I am taking meds but not anything that makes me worse...I still have days when I feel the anxiety coming on but can deal with it better now..It still scares me though. I just wish there was a cure for this. I really do because as I know now this is not a game and should be taken very seriously. I pray for anyone that struggles with this and would never wish it on my worst enemy....