Substance abuse and increased levels of anger often go hand in hand. Although not every person needing anger management assistance suffers from addiction, being aware of how substances impact anger can help anyone with their emotional awareness and management.
Whether you are reading to help yourself or someone else, a lot of questions that come up when looking to end these vicious cycles. For example, “How do you control feelings?” or “How long does a DUI stay on your insurance?”
Maintaining a lifestyle centered on substance abuse and anger affects every aspect of someone’s life. This includes strained relationships to higher monthly expenses. Keep reading for some helpful tips on how to regain control.
What is addiction costing you?
The average American drinks about one alcoholic drink a day and spends roughly $565 on alcohol a year. At the rate of three drinks a day for women and four drinks a day for men, slightly over 12 percent of the American population are considered binge drinkers.
Most alcoholics drink at three times the average rate of a regular drinker. This annual cost comes to a value not too shy of $2,000 at a minimum. Using alcohol consumption as a base measure is the most accurate. Its legal standing leads to more accurate data, but the price tag only goes up with other substances.
Substances like cocaine, opioids, and heroin are often street bought. This leads to a fluctuation in prices that make these addictions some of the most costly. In addition to retail prices raising your monthly expenses after receiving any kind of DUI charges, all your insurance rates are likely to go up due to premium increases or being dropped from your current policy.
The Physical Cost
Everything is best in moderation, but there can be severe detriments to your health when you have an addiction. When looking at substance abuse specifically, there is an increased risk of addicts developing health issues such as:
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Stroke
- Lung and liver disease
- Ulcers
- Hypertension
- Learning and cognitive problems
- HIV/AIDS – from the use of sharing tools used to get high
- Mental disorders – can develop in once mentally stable individuals
In addition, most of the physical ailments that coincide with substance abuse are not always visible. Individuals who may eat healthy and regularly exercise are still at a higher risk when it comes to all aspects of their health.
The Priceless Losses
If you are an addict or love someone who is, the emotional toll of dealing with addiction isn’t lost on you. Addiction is a vicious cycle. It perpetuates the consequences and lows that come from a substance’s dependency with the high reward of using.
Addicts will often push away their loved ones, creating resentment and frustration that puts a strain on the relationships. Addiction is a touchy subject for both the addict and those their addiction affects. In-person and virtual family and marriage counseling in Mystic, Connecticut can help with healing and the addict recovery process.
Addiction and Anger
Even though the vice being abused often feels like euphoria while under the influence, the crash and build dependency on the substance of choice leads to heightened, more frequent outbursts of anger. Mood swings are also common in someone suffering from addiction, making bipolar-like mood swings an early indicator of the disease.
In individuals who may have had trouble with mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and eating disorders in the past, substance abuse can worsen their symptoms. And these symptoms can cause even more problems for even unexpected things. For example, being considered as pre-existing conditions which can be denied by insurance.
Under the influence of alcohol and other addictive substances, aggressive emotions can cause impulsive reactions. This leads an addict to react in hyper violent ways.
What if you’re not an addict?
So what if you’re just angry? Anger and frequent mood swings aren’t just a symptom of addiction. They can be an indicator of other mental illnesses or ailments.
If you or a loved one frequently has anger tantrums and aren’t sure why, counseling is a great place to find out what could be going on. Aggressive outbursts even without the abuse of addictive substances can be a sign of one or multiple of these mental illnesses:
- Anxiety
- Intermittent explosive disorder (IED)
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
It is important to know where the root of anger and aggressive outburst behaviors come from in order to treat it properly. Because of the negative mental and physical toll anger places on the body, it is not uncommon for individuals who struggle with these disorders to be more susceptible to addiction.
Anger and aggressive outbursts show themselves in more ways than yelling and hurtful words. A few signs to look out for if you’re suspecting you or a loved one could have an underlying anger issue are:
- Irritability
- Extreme fatigue
- Stress
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Thoughts of suicide or self-harm
- Becoming easily agitated
- Euphoric feelings followed by depression
- Racing thoughts or trouble focusing
- Engaging in impulsive or reckless behavior
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Muscle tension
Therapy is good for more than just talking out life events, but can help prepare you for handling life situations where your anger occurs. With nationwide available programs like virtual counseling in Southeastern Connecticut that specialize in aiding substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and IED, finding inclusive help is easily accessible.
What to Take Away
Labeling yourself as an addict or someone who has a mental illness can be a scary thought. People often feel that the diagnosis of being an addict or a mental illness will define who they are and how the world will see them, but a diagnosis isn’t a prison sentence.
Getting a diagnosis and treatment in all forms helps those who struggle with substance abuse and anger issues live happier, more fulfilled lives. There is no one way or one-size-fits-all method of treatment, and it often comes in the form of both medical and lifestyle change practices.
The more aware you are of what applies to you, the better you, your loved ones, and your doctors can be at combating the adverse effects of either addiction, mental illnesses, or both.
Whether you’re reaching out for help or trying to find ways to help another, know there are ways to live with addiction and anger, and no matter what your situation is, resources are available for help.
Danielle Beck-Hunter writes and researches for the insurance comparison site, Insurantly.com. Danielle frequently researches chronic disease, mental health disorders and treatments, and insurance care and methods. Having grown up with family members who suffer from addiction and mental illness, Danielle works to educate everyone on the many faces of both disorders and how to live a happy, fulfilling life with them.
