Addiction and Co-Morbidities: How Do They Make It Worse?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Comorbidity describes two or more disorders or illnesses occurring in the same person.” Having one illness is severe enough, but managing two or more together can be nigh impossible.
However, the difficulty doesn’t end with just managing each illness on its own, as these illnesses interact. Continue reading to understand how comorbidity works and how it can strengthen addictions.
Comorbidity
Comorbidity is better explained with an example. Suppose you’re addicted to alcohol or some other depressant. A depressant is a drug that reduces your nervous system’s excitability. In other words, it calms you down. Depressants are used to treat an overexcited nervous system, which manifests itself in anxiety or mania. Recreationally, they’re used to calm down or reduce a person’s inhibitions.
Depression can manifest in different symptoms, with one of these symptoms being painful memories or thoughts. Since depressants calm you down and dull your nervous system, they can provide relief from those thoughts in select circumstances.
In conclusion, depressants can make the symptoms associated with depressions less stark, which can incentivize the consumption of more depressants. This is a positive feedback loop that increasingly harms your mental health.
Moreover, this isn’t the only way this loop can arise. Other illnesses can also emerge, such as anxiety or, in extreme cases, schizophrenia. If you abuse a substance, the risk of comorbidity increases.
Common Illnesses That Accompany Addiction
Comorbid illnesses depend on what you’re addicted to and how your body and mind handle the substance. Nevertheless, here are some common comorbid illnesses:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Chronic Pain
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Managing Comorbidity
Managing comorbidity can be difficult on your own. Substance abuse can significantly hamper your capacity to physically respond to the adverse effects of a substance. Moreover, comorbid mental illnesses can impair your cognitive abilities. Taken together, these biological and cognitive impairments make it difficult for you to manage your conditions.
Recovery requires a plan and consistency. However, with multiple conditions, it’s difficult to form a plan to manage them, let alone stay consistent with the program. Instead, the best way to manage comorbidity is to seek professional help. Treatment typically involves weaning a person off their addiction through cognitive restructuring (dealing with irrational thoughts) and other approaches.
If you’re looking for substance abuse evaluation and treatment for yourself or another, contact us at Comprehensive Counseling Services, LLC. We offer state-certified substance abuse evaluation Winder and state-approved alcohol and drug evaluation in Winder, Georgia. Get in touch, and we’ll help set you on the path to recovery.
