Treatment for Anxiety and Addiction in Palm Beach County
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Addiction is a chronic and progressive disease that has many influencing factors. One of the most common factors contributing to the development of addiction is untreated mental health conditions. When someone struggles with a mental health condition and substance use disorder, it is referred to as having co-occurring disorders.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “approximately 9.2 million adults in the United States have a co-occurring disorder.”[1]
The most common condition to co-occur with addiction is anxiety disorder. This is mainly because anxiety disorders are among the most frequent mental health conditions to affect individuals in the United States.
If you or a loved one struggles with co-occurring anxiety and addiction, you can start your recovery by attending anxiety and addiction treatment in Palm Beach County.
What Types of Anxiety Disorders Co-Occur With Addiction?
While everyone experiences anxiety or nervousness at some point in their lives, people with anxiety conditions deal with feelings of fear or stress daily. If you have an anxiety disorder, you know that the symptoms can impact your ability to function in even the simplest of tasks. Oftentimes, this causes people to begin abusing substances to cope with their symptoms.
There are several different types of anxiety disorders and each one can co-occur with addiction. The most common anxiety conditions to co-occur with substance use disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
- Panic disorder
- Agoraphobia and other phobia-related disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), about 20% of people with an anxiety disorder also struggle with substance abuse.[2] If you or a loved one deals with these co-occurring disorders, addiction and anxiety treatment can help you regain control over your life.
What is Anxiety and Addiction Treatment Like in Palm Beach County?
When you suffer from both an anxiety disorder and addiction, you must receive treatment for both conditions at the same time. If one disorder is left untreated, it could cause a relapse in the one you’ve learned to manage. Thankfully, dual-diagnosis treatment centers like Archstone Behavioral Health can provide you with the combination of services you need to recover.
Assessment and Diagnosis
Upon arrival at a dual diagnosis rehab in Palm Beach County, you will begin the assessment and diagnosis process. The medical staff will ask you questions about your substance abuse, mental health, and family history to gather the information needed to create an individualized treatment plan.
Additionally, you will undergo mental health assessments to determine what type of anxiety disorder you have. As a result, your therapist and psychiatrist will be able to draft a treatment plan based on your specific needs.
Medical Detox
After the initial assessments, you will begin detox for your addiction. The exact method of detox used will depend on what substance you were addicted to. Substances like alcohol and opioids will require a tapering method while stimulant withdrawal will be managed with symptom-specific medications.
In addition to medications to manage your withdrawal symptoms, medical staff will monitor your vital signs consistently to ensure that you are safe and comfortable throughout the entire process.
Evidence-Based Therapies
Once you have overcome your withdrawals, you will begin participating in individual and group counseling sessions. Your therapist will use evidence-based therapies that are proven effective in managing anxiety disorders and addiction.
Examples of evidence-based therapies for addiction and anxiety include:(3,4)
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Motivational interviewing (MI)
- Contingency management (CM)
- 12-step facilitation therapy
- Family behavior therapy
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
These therapies will help you identify negative patterns of thought and teach you how to use coping mechanisms to prevent unhealthy behaviors.
Medication Management
In addition to therapy, sometimes anxiety disorders are treated with medications. If you are in a dual diagnosis treatment program, you will only be given medications that are non-habit-forming to ensure you do not relapse.
Examples of common non-addictive anxiety medications include:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Beta-blockers
- Buspirone
- Hydroxyzine pamoate (Vistaril)
- Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Relapse Prevention Planning and Aftercare
Before you complete treatment for anxiety and addiction Palm Beach County, you will participate in relapse prevention planning, a process that provides you with the techniques necessary to maintain sobriety outside of a facility. Because leaving a treatment program will introduce you to new triggers, this is a vital aspect of recovery.
In addition to relapse prevention planning, you will be provided with aftercare. These are services provided to you once you have left the treatment program to ensure you have the support you need to maintain your recovery.
Examples of aftercare services include:
- Continued therapy and group counseling
- Continued medication management
- Alumni support groups
- Case management services like vocational and legal assistance
- Referrals to sober living housing programs
- Recommendations on local support groups like 12-step meetings
Find Treatment for Anxiety and Addiction in Palm Beach County
If you or a loved one struggles with co-occurring anxiety and addiction, it’s time to seek help. At Archstone Behavioral Health, our anxiety and addiction treatment program in Palm Beach County ensures that you have a strong foundation of recovery to rely on. Using evidence-based therapies and individually tailored treatment, we can help you restore quality of life and achieve long-term recovery.
To learn more about our dual diagnosis rehab program in Palm Beach County, contact us today.
References:
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Co-Occurring Disorders and Other Health Conditions, Retrieved September 2023 From https://www.samhsa.gov/medications-substance-use-disorders/medications-counseling-related-conditions/co-occurring-disorders
- The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA): Substance Use Disorders, Retrieved September 2023 From https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/co-occurring-disorders/substance-abuse
- The National Library of Medicine (NLM): Treatment of anxiety disorders in clinical practice, Retrieved September 2023 From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6829787/
- The National Library of Medicine (NLM): Evidence-based practices for substance use disorders, Retrieved September 2023 From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3678283/