Title: How Depression and Anger and effect Addiction
Headings: Depression, Anger, and Addiction: The Role of Emotions in Recovery and Treatment
Depression, Anger, and Addiction: The Role of Emotions in Recovery and Treatment
How Do Emotions Affect Addiction?
Depression and Addiction
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Content: According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people with substance abuse disorders often have co-occurring mental health issues, and vice versa. 1 If you or someone you care about is affected by mental health issues and substance abuse, know that addiction treatment can help overcome substance abuse and improve your overall mental health. How Do Emotions Affect Addiction? When you feel happy, you are more likely to feel positive and make healthier or more constructive choices, whereas if you feel negative, you may be more inclined to engage in negative behaviors and make poorer choices. People who experience mental wellness can cope with stress and make better decisions, whereas mental illness or poor mental health can lead to problems with thinking, mood, and behavior. 2
Poor mental health and addiction are mutually reinforcing—that is to say, when you feel bad, you may feel more inclined to abuse substances. Research has shown that emotional dysregulation (meaning an inability to control your responses to stimuli) can be not only a risk factor for addiction, alcoholism, and depression, but can also cause increased emotional problems; in addition, long-term drug use can impair your ability to deal with intense emotions and cause further emotional dysregulation. 3
Research has also shown that alcohol, drugs, and mental health disorders are strongly intertwined; disorders and behaviors such as depression, aggressiveness, and anger are correlated with a higher likelihood of substance abuse and alcohol abuse.