Guest Post: Substance Abuse & Eating Disorders - Fighting a Dual Diagnosis

Many people probably know that conditions such as anorexia and bulimia and disordered eating can wreak havoc on a person’s life. Did you know that other factors can make such conditions
worse?

Unfortunately, using drugs or drinking excessively can make an eating disorder much worse.

Also unfortunately, many people grapple with both substance abuse and eating disorders at the same time.

“Up to 50% of individuals with eating disorders abused alcohol or illicit drugs, a rate five times higher than the general population,” says the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). In
fact, the combination of an eating disorder and substance abuse is so common that it goes by many terms, including dual diagnosis, co-occurring condition, or comorbidity.

People with just one of those conditions may find it difficult to treat. If they have both, treatment can be even more difficult, because the conditions may feed off each other. For example, people who feel ashamed or anxious about an eating disorder may get drunk to try to forget their problems.

Treatment may be difficult, but it’s necessary. It’s also available. People with eating disorders
and substance abuse problems may want to consider entering inpatient dual diagnosis
treatment centers.

While this name may sound intimidating, breaking it down is important. Similarly, while
treatment may sound daunting, addressing it step-by-step can make it seem less scary and
more accessible.

As their name indicates, inpatient centers require people to stay at designated facilities while
they receive treatment. This removes people from places, people, and circumstances that may
trigger their eating disorders and substance abuse. It allows people to press the reset buttons
on their lives.

Inpatient care is also medical care. Eating disorders and substance abuse can be deadly, but
treating them is also a delicate matter. Treatment requires people to make changes. Their
bodies may not be accustomed to such changes, so staying in inpatient facilities that offer
constant medical supervision may make treatment safer and more effective.

Therapy is also a vital component feature of dual diagnosis facilities. Therapists can help people
determine how eating disorders may influence substance abuse and vice versa. They can work
with clients to develop new eating patterns and new ways to cope with stress.

Dual diagnosis centers also introduce clients to other helpful people: their peers. Many inpatient
dual diagnosis treatment centers feature group therapy and support group meetings.

Professionals at the centers often find support groups that people can attend after they leave
their treatment facilities.

Peer assistance may be very helpful. After all, people in support groups and group therapy
sessions have experienced eating disorders, addiction, and recovery themselves, so they can
empathize with others in their groups. They may be less likely to judge because they’ve been
through the same things. They can ask for advice or give advice because they’ve been there
and done that.

Eating disorders and substance abuse are complex problems. Treating them is no less
complex. As with other issues of mental health, finding effective support may be challenging, but
it can make all the difference.

About the author: Pamela Zuber is a writer and editor interested in inpatient dual diagnosis
treatment centers and other aspects of mental health, as well as wellness, gender, human
rights, and many other topics.

References
The Contemporary Psychoanalysis Group, “Disordered Eating or Eating Disorder: What’s the
Difference?,” Psychology Today, February 23, 2014,

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemporary-psychoanalysis-in-action/201402/disordered-eating-or-eating-disorder-what-s-the

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), “Substance Abuse and Eating Disorders,”
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/substance-abuse-and-eating-disorders

Wade, Stephanie, Hunna Watson, Jemma Caswell, and Julie Purcell, “Peer Support for Eating
Disorders: A Pilot Open Trial of Peer Support for Children and Adolescents with Eating
Disorders,” Journal of Eating Disorders, November 24, 2014,

https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2050-2974-2-S1-O64

Guest Post: Back on Track - How Fitness Helps Recovery

Statistics from 2014 reveal that 

21.5 million people aged 12 or 

older had a substance 

abuse disorder that year alone. 

Over the last 25 years, the 

addiction treatment industry 

has tripled in size, currently 

raking in about $35 billion in 

annual revenue. So it seems 

that, for all the money spent 

on addiction prevention, 

addiction still hasn’t been 

prevented. Instead, it morphed into a 

business, while the failsafe way to getting 

clean has been endlessly debated.

If you are recovering from drugs and alcohol, here are some tips to 

maintaining a healthy lifestyle to help you find your way onto the 

right track to recovery.

Back on Track

Perhaps the first step in picking up the pieces of your life after an addiction 

is not so much physical as mental and emotional. People who base their 

schedules and relationships around drugs for years often feel lonely or 

rudderless once they quit. One way to overcome this sense of isolation is 

to get a support network around you. That might include family, old friends, 

or other recovering addicts.

Also, take care of yourself: Get enough sleep. Eat healthy foods such as 

fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and omega-3 fish like salmon. Declutter 

your life. That could mean cleaning up your apartment, throwing out clothes 

you don’t wear, cutting people who are toxic out of your life, or deleting the 

apps that you don’t use off your iPhone. Whatever steps you take, make 

sure where and how you live is light, bright, open and full of possibility.

Get a Routine

Now that you’ve begun to address your mental health, turn to how you’re 

doing physically. Drugs wear down your body and fully recovering from them 

means adopting a healthy, active routine that you keep up through the years. 

A natural midway point between attending to your mental and physical states 

could be yoga, which focuses on deep-breathing, meditation, relaxing and 

staying in tune with your body. Biking, tennis, running, baseball, basketball, 

swimming and weightlifting are all solid options, too. Pick something you 

love, because you’ll keep doing it, rather than view it as a chore. Moreover, 

physical activity has been shown to sharpen memory, lower cholesterol, 

combat inflammation and fight off type 2 diabetes.

Anger and Addiction

Mental illness and substance addiction frequently co-occur. According to the 

Journal of the American Medical Association, roughly 50 percent of people who 

suffer a serious cognitive disorder abuse drugs. Anger, meanwhile, is often 

symptomatic of a range of mental problems including mania and depression 

in bipolar disorder, among others. After you go cold turkey from drugs, many 

factors may still cause you to become angry. These might include unpaid 

debts, broken friendships, or any that anxiety you may have harbored for 

years while on drugs.

Fitness has been shown to moderate anger by releasing chemicals such as 

serotonin and dopamine in your brain. So if you’re recovering from an addiction, 

do any of the exercises listed above to relax. If you are unable to control your anger, 

decide whether competitive sports fuel your stress or not. For instance, if you know 

that losing a game of pickup basketball will upset you, you might opt to drive out 

to a forest to hike through the pine air and feel at peace.

Finding your way out of the darkness of addiction is nearly a miracle. That’s 

why it’s important to keep moving. Exercise rewires our brain and helps stave 

off depression, so we can muster the strength to keep on the track that leads 

toward recovery.

Image via Unsplash

About the Author

Molly knows what it’s like having a loved one suffering from an addiction. Through 

her writing, she offers support and advice for those with addictions and their loved 

ones. Molly writes for RecoveryHope. She’s passionate about supporting those in 

recovery and their family and friends.

Mental Health Series - Top Five Healthy/Unhealthy Ways to Cope with Anxiety

The Five Unhealthy and Five Best Ways to Cope With Anxiety

Anxiety is something we’ve all probably experienced in our life. We’ve lived through a life-threatening moment where our heart races or we’ve felt anxious about a test or before a hospital procedure.  We may have had to cope with an emergency. This is normal anxiety and it goes away once the situation does.

However, for those who suffer from anxiety, symptoms can continue while the situation doesn’t. These symptoms can frighten a person into an ongoing cycle of worry and anxiety that perpetuates more symptoms.

Anxiety affects us in four distinct ways:

• ·      How we feel
• ·      How our body works
• ·      How we think
• ·      How we behave

How We Feel?

1      Are you anxious? Nervous? Worried? Frightened
  Do you feel like something horrible is going to happen?
  Are you tense, stressed? Uptight? On edge? Unsettled?
  Do you feel unreal? Strange? Woozy? Detached?
  Are you panicky?

How Our Body Works?

1     1.     Heart pounds, races, skips a beat?
2.     Chest feels tight or painful?
3.     Tingling or numbness in toes or fingers?
4.     Stomach churning or butterflies?
5.     Having to use toilet?
6.     Jumpy or restless?
7.     Tense muscles?
8.     Body aching?
9.     Sweating?
10. Breathing changes?
11. Dizzy, light-headed?

How We Think?

1    1.     Constant Worrying?
2.     Can’t Concentrate?
3.     Thoughts Racing?
4.     Mind jumping from one thing to another?
5.     Imagining the worse and constantly thinking about it?

How We Behave?

1    1.     Pace Up and Down
2.     Start jobs and not finish
3.     Can’t sit and relax
4.     On the go all the tie
5.     Talking quickly or more than usual
6.     Snappy and irritable behavior
7.     Drinking alcohol more
8.     Smoking more
9.     Eating more or less
10. Avoiding fearful situations

Anxiety is an illness that cannot be cured. But with careful management, it can be reduced and treated. You must learn to work on your anxiety by:

·      Understanding your anxiety better

·      Reducing the physical symptoms

·      Altering your thoughts related to anxiety

·      Changing your behaviors related to anxiety

If you do not do these things, the following can occur if you tend to treat your anxiety by following the advice of the worst ways to cope with your anxiety. If you see yourself in any of these situations, please contact a mental health professional or your primary care physician and seek medical attention immediately.

Top Five Unhealthy Ways to Cope with Anxiety

Unhealthy Thinking– Worry, Obsessive thinking, Rumination – all of these can trap your mind in an endless loop and spiral into more advanced mood disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, and other psychological conditions.  Obsessive thinking exaggerates and extends upsetting feelings. Rumination focuses on future outcomes of events that haven’t occurred or gives the person something to worry about by having an uncontrollable preoccupation of the past.

Unhealthy Eating

Stress and anxiety increases your appetite along with triggering the release of a number of chemicals in the brain including adrenaline and cortisol. These make you feel alert to help you handle any threat and make you ready for action. However, whenever you’re overly stimulated with anxiety, your body begins to crave comfort foods for biological and psychological reasons. Your body craves foods associated with memories from childhood and comfort.

Unhealthy Drinking/Drugs/Illicit (Illegal) Activities

One way to avoid your anxiety is to self-medicate with alcohol, drugs or illegal drugs, or other types of illicit activity such as self-harm, like cutting. These activities do not reduce the anxiety, replace the anxiety, or remove the anxiety. They only delay or magnify the symptoms.

Unhealthy Sleeping

One way the body deals with an anxiety attack is to shut down all bodily functions, and sleep. You may think that if you sleep away your anxiety, you will awaken with the anxiety gone and you can then go on with your life. It doesn’t work that way. You’ll only have slept away most of your days and nights and not accomplished anything but worry your family and friends, and possibly lost your job or gotten behind on paying your bills. The anxiety will still be there.

Unhealthy Withdrawal from Social Functions/Friends/Family

When you withdraw from friends, you may begin watching too much television, or do too much of one activity alone. This is not healthy for you. You cannot avoid your issues my avoiding your friends and family. 

Top Five Best Ways to Cope with Anxiety

Physical/Relaxation Exercise

Try some physical exercise to get the heart beating at a regular beat that stretches your muscles, but also try some relaxation methods such  as aerobics, walking, yoga, or massage as well.  By keeping up with healthy exercise, you will automatically assume a healthy sleep cycle.

Social Activities

Keep up with activities in your age group or neighborhood. Go to a senior center if need be, or other group in your appropriate age group. Find out what activities are taking place and join. Talk to your family and friends and form a regular weekly game night. Do whatever makes you happy and joyful.

Maintain a Support System

Reach out and connect with others who you trust and can stay in contact with on a regular basis. Make sure that you include your mental health physician or therapist, your primary doctor, a neighbor, your life partner or closest friend, and anyone else you can trust. These are people who you will be able to go to if you ever need to when an anxiety episode strikes or if you feel the need to use emergency services someone there can call one of these people for you.

Prayer/Meditation

If it so moves you, join a local church of your affiliation. There are many functions among the church family. You can always ask for prayer or find someone to pray with you. Listening to self-guided hypnosis or meditation is another way to help you relax and cope with your anxiety.

Healthy Eating

Maintain a healthy balanced diet, as much as possible. Eat lean protein, green vegetables and drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated and avoid sugar and processed foods.

When you become aware of how you handle anxiety, you make healthier choices. Studies suggest that highlighting social ties can deliver certain health benefits.

Remember, you are only one defining decision from a totally different life.

image courtesy of incredible joy.com 

Surprising Things that Increase Anxiety

We all feel anxious at one time or another. A big test in school. A meeting with the boss. A confrontation with your spouse. Any and all of those things can make a person feel anxious.

There are those people that go beyond "natural" anxiety and actually have an anxiety disorder. I'm one of those people. I have a Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder. I also have OCD, Panic Disorder, and PTSD. Those are also anxiety disorders.

What are they, you ask?

Well, let's consult WebMD or Wikipedia, if you would prefer.

Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior, such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints and rumination.^[2] It is the subjectively unpleasant feelings of dread over something unlikely to happen, such as the feeling of imminent death.^[3] Anxiety is not the same asfear, which is felt about something realistically intimidating or dangerous and is an appropriate response to a perceived threat;^[4] anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, and uneasiness, usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as menacing.^[5] It is often accompanied by restlessness, fatigue, problems in concentration, and muscular tension. Anxiety is not considered to be a normal reaction to a perceived stressor although many feel it occasionally.

What Are the Types of Anxiety Disorders?

There are several recognized types of anxiety disorders, including:

• Panic disorder: People with this condition have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Other symptoms of a panic attackinclude sweating, chest pain, palpitations (unusually strong or irregular heartbeats), and a feeling of choking, which may make the person feel like he or she is having a heart attack or "going crazy."
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): People with OCD are plagued by constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or routines. The disturbing thoughts are called obsessions, and the rituals are called compulsions. An example is a person with an unreasonable fear of germs who constantly washes his or her hands.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a condition that can develop following a traumatic and/or terrifying event, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, or a natural disaster. People with PTSD often have lasting and frightening thoughts and memories of the event and tend to be emotionally numb.
• Social anxiety disorder: Also called social phobia, social anxiety disorder involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule.
• Specific phobias: A specific phobia is an intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as snakes, heights, or flying. The level of fear is usually inappropriate to the situation and may cause the person to avoid common, everyday situations.
• Generalized anxiety disorder: This disorder involves excessive, unrealistic worry and tension, even if there is little or nothing to provoke the anxiety.

Do you recognize any of these in you or someone you know?

What about symptoms?

Symptoms vary depending on the type of anxiety disorder, but general symptoms include:

• Feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness
• Uncontrollable, obsessive thoughts
• Repeated thoughts or flashbacks of traumatic experiences
• Nightmares
• Ritualistic behaviors, such as repeated hand washing
• Problems sleeping
• Cold or sweaty hands and/or feet
• Shortness of breath
• Palpitations
• An inability to be still and calm
• Dry mouth
• Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
• Nausea
• Muscle tension
• Dizziness

Do you know that not just social situations can cause anxiety? iVillage has come up with a list of very surprising ways that cause anxiety triggers in a person. Most are controllable. Let's see them in detail.

Food additives: Aspartame, food coloring, dyes 
Many people report mood swings and anxiety after ingesting man-made sweeteners, like aspartame and high fructose corn syrup, food dyes (including Red #40 and Yellow #5) and flavorings like MSG. Direct links between artificial food additives and mood are still under investigation though they've been implicated as a cause of ADHD and autism in children. The fact is that dyes and artificial sweeteners are neurotoxins that can disrupt normal nervous system function, leading to increased symptoms of anxiety.

Over the counter drugs and supplements 
Medicines that contain caffeine, including several headache and migraine relievers, some cough medicines, decongestants, asthma medications and weight-loss supplements that includes stimulants, can lead to increased heart rates and a spike in feelings of anxiety. Popular herbal remedies and supplements like St. John's Wort, ginseng and kava kava may also cause or increase unease.

Food sensitivities 
Symptoms of food sensitivity can range from digestive issues like stomach pain to difficulty breathing. While both of these problems can cause anxiety, there's also increasing evidence that food sensitivities affect mood directly as well. Gluten, soy, dairy -- even chocolate -- can impact hormones lelvels and other key chemicals in the brain, upsetting the delicate balance needed to keep the body and mind in control of anxiousness.

Skipping meals 
In our harried, stressful world, skipping a meal here and there is all too common. What's more, many people who are anxious and stressed may feel they have no appetite or simply lack the desire to eat. But for most people used to regular meals, skipping meals causes a drop in the body's blood sugar levels. If prolonged, this drop may lead to increased feelings of anxiety and irritability. Other anxiety-provoking effects of low blood sugar are dizziness, light-headedness, confusion and weakness.

Dehydration
A 2009 study at Tufts University found a clear link between hydration and mood. The study found that student athletes who were just mildly dehydrated reported feeling angry, confused, tense and fatigued. Staying hydrated is essential to keeping the body's physiological functions running smoothly, including speeding the healing process and removing toxins. Drinking enough water daily may be one of the easiest ways to help the body control its nerves.

Caffeine 
Millions of people rely on a regular caffeine fix to jump start their day or to perk up when their energy nosedives. But too much is no good. "Caffeine-induced anxiety disorder" is actually a recognized condition found in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the "bible" used by mental health experts throughout the United States. As most people are aware, too much caffeine can cause a racing heartbeat, which can trigger a panic attack. And while a little caffeine can improve one's ability to focus, too much may increase nervousness and a host of anxiety symptoms, like sweating palms, ringing in the ears, even feelings of impending doom.

Cigarettes, drugs and alcohol 
Relying on smoking, drinking or using drugs to feel calmer can backfire. Nicotine is a stimulant that studies have shown can raise blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke also may cause breathing problems that the body responds to as if it's suffocating, increasing the likelihood of panic attacks. As for alcohol and drugs, people suffering from an anxiety disorder are two to three times more likely to abuse these than the general population, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Both alcohol and drugs can lead to panic attacks and their disruptive effect on the central nervous system limits the brain's ability to calm the mind and body.

Nutrient deficiencies 
Make sure you eat your vitamins! B complex, C and E vitamins play important roles in nervous system function, and B vitamins particularly affect mood and metabolism. Magnesium is known to help relieve stress, thus a deficiency in this mineral may lead to irritability and apathy. Selenium, an antioxidant essential to the efficient function of neurotransmitters in the brain, helps control mood. And according to a 2006 study, people with lower levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were also at increased risk of anxiety.

Age 
As we age, we face multiple stresses that can bring on bouts of anxiety. Life events such as health changes, memory problems, the death of a spouse or even a seemingly happy change like retirement, can all be stress-provoking. The Geriatric Mental Health Foundation estimates that 10-to-20 percent of older adults suffer from anxiety, although many go untreated because they may not recognize the symptoms.

Negative thinking 
Many therapists stress that persistent negative thinking really does have a harmful effect on our emotional well-being. Ever hear of automatic negative thoughts (or ANT’s)? These are quick, unconscious, off-the-cuff criticisms that the mind churns out when faced with stressful situations. "Why did I do that?" "Why am I so dumb?" and other negative self-criticisms wreak havoc on your emotional state. The good news is that a therapist can help you identify these ANT’s and reduce the power they have on your psyche.

Unconscious cues
A song, smell or location can be unconsciously linked to a bad feeling or memory, which can be problematic. This is perhaps most common in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (where, for example, a soldier hearing a loud bang may associate the sound with gunfire and thus become anxious), but it can occur in other types of anxiety as well. Identifying anxiety-provoking unconscious cues on your own can be difficult. However, with the help of a therapist it's possible to untangle this complicated process and put negative thoughts in their place.

To help control your anxiety or identify the triggers, you can go to this guide for more information. There are many things you can do to help yourself ease your anxiety or identify it and avoid it altogether.

Here are 11 Tips to Help Manage Anxiety at PsychCentral.

From Anxiety and Depression Association of America are tips to manage stress and anxiety.

For me, distraction is my biggest trick to help me alleviate stress or anxiety. I find something to occupy my mind that will push the anxiety away. One way to distract myself is to read God's word.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

What do you do to help alleviate your anxiety?