How to Best Manage Stress in Addiction Recovery

By Guest Author |

Managing stress in addiction recovery can be one of the keys to relapse prevention. That feeling of “stress” is triggered by the fight-or-flight stress response kicking into gear without thought when triggered by emotions, sounds, sights, touches, smells, and the like. Often stress and substance use disorders go hand-in-hand because the chemicals in the alcohol or other drugs soothe the symptoms of stress – at least momentarily. And the brain “remembers” things that make it feel good. Today’s guest author, Benjamin Kaneaiakala gives readers some excellent explanations and suggestions for how to best manage stress in addiction, aka substance use disorder, recovery.

Guest author, Benjamin Kaneaiakalam, MBA, LAADC explains how to bets manage stress in addiction recovery.

Benjamin Kaneaiakalam MBA, LAADC, has been working in the alcohol and drug addiction industry for over 27 years. He has been mentored to learn and work most positions in the industry. Grateful for the guidance throughout his career, Benjamin owns and operates an addiction rehabilitation program in California. Phoenix Rising Behavioral Health Care Services provides substance abuse treatment services for alcoholism, prescription drug addiction, heroin addiction, opiates addiction, and most other substances to men and women suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, and dual diagnosis.  Benjamin believes the good is the enemy of the better, and looks to help those struggling rise from their past to a new and brighter future.

How to Best Manage Stress in Addiction Recovery by Benjamin Kaneaiakala III, MBA, LAADC

A common misunderstanding in early addiction recovery is that one should avoid all sources of stress, as stress and accompanying anxiety symptoms can induce relapse. While it’s true that many people wound up addicted to the substance they may have been using to self-medicate stressful events or feelings, avoiding occurrences of stress in recovery is simply not practical. Stress is an unfortunate aspect of our daily life so the answer lies in not avoiding all stress triggers but rather learning how to manage them in recovery.

The importance of acquiring a strong set of coping skills cannot be overstated. In treatment, clients are introduced to various methods and techniques for managing stress that can act as essential recovery skills. We are all going to encounter unpleasant, scary, sad, and fearful events as we walk through life—no one lives in a bubble. When returning to real life following treatment, which involves also returning to the obligations and responsibilities that were neglected or ignored while in active addiction, having a strong relapse prevention plan and grasp on effective coping skills is crucial.

Why Stress Must Be Adequately Managed In Recovery

Managing stress can be key to succeeding in addiction, aka substance use disorder, recovery.

We are all hardwired, through genetics, unique personality traits, and our own individual brain chemistry, to handle stress a certain way. Some people are blessed with the ability, like the water sliding off the duck’s back, to roll through stressful events without a care in the world. Others react to stressful situations in overdrive, with a hyper-arousal response of the fight versus flight response that sends cortisol and adrenaline production skyward. Between these two types, it is easy to see why the person who overreacts to stress might lean on a substance to mitigate their emotional distress.

Since stress is a permanent feature of life, it benefits individuals in recovery to learn how to make nice and find a middle ground when the slings and arrows come one’s way. To ignore this important recovery strategy is to self-sabotage, as stress is indeed a risk to recovery. Old habits can die hard, so the distorted thinking that might erupt when something bad or scary happens, that always led to reaching for a benzo, a joint, or a drink, must be changed—permanently changed.

How To Shift the Way You Respond to Stress

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a powerful tool for accomplishing the goal of creating those new thought-behavior response patterns in recovery. CBT is a short-term psychotherapy that guides clients towards recognizing how their thoughts associated with a stressful situation are often disordered and negative, and the behavioral response to the disordered thinking is then self-destructive—a means to squelch the unpleasant or upsetting emotions attached to the disordered thought.

In CBT the therapist assists the client in reaching that aha! moment when he or she will see how self-defeating the old thought-behavior patterns were, and then work toward reshaping these patterns. CBT teaches clients to reframe the responsive thought to the stress source into something positive and affirming, and trains them to follow that new thought process with constructive, healthy behaviors.

Stress Management Techniques and Activities

While CBT sets the table, it takes time for these new patterns to take root and become habit. There are a variety of complimentary activities that help to solidify the new healthy thought-behavior patterns, while also enhancing relaxation and reducing stress. Incorporating these practices into daily life in recovery can help protect sobriety while solidifying one’s coping skills and stress management response.

  • Mindfulness training. The practice of purposeful attention to the present moment, and especially by focusing on the breathing process, can help rein in runaway stressful thinking. Mindfulness teaches one how to pay close attention to the physical and emotional sensations of the moment while expressing self-affirming thoughts. As an example, “Yes, at this moment I am feeling worried. This worry is because I am anticipating the worst-case scenario, even though I have no control over what the future will bring. I chose to focus instead on the present moment, the sound of the birds I can hear through my window, the soft breeze on my face”…and then spend a couple of minutes focused intently on the breathing process.
  • Daily walking or cardio. Getting physical activity on a regular basis will have profound effects on mood, fitness, and physical health. Cardio activities, such as walking, cycling, swimming, dance cardio, running, or spin classes, cause the body to produce the feel-good hormones, such as endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, that boost mood, reduce stress, and improve sleep quality. Playing music that makes you happy or soothes your soul while you exercise can further enhance the relaxation effects. Exercise can serve as an important stress management tool in addiction recovery.
  • Deep breathing techniques. A very effective stress reducer that can be accessed pretty much anywhere at any time is deep breathing. Deep breathing produces several physiological responses, including slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and reduce body tension. A basic deep breathing exercise involves breathing in deeply through the nose to a count of 5, holding the breath for a count of 5, and then releasing the breath slowly and completely through the mouth for a count of 7.
  • Yoga has a wide range of restorative health benefits, including stress reduction. Yoga uses purposeful poses and stances that involve stretching, balance, and core work, calming the central nervous system along the way. It is a peaceful, quiet form of exercise that relieves stress and reduces muscle tension while lowering cortisol levels.
  • Guided Imagery. These mind-body podcasts, videos or classes lead the individual on a mental journey toward a calm, happy place. Using imagery that invokes a sensory perception of relaxation, the practitioner takes the individual into a deeply restful state.
  • Support group. There are small groups that provide a sounding board for people to share their life issues, painful events, anger-provoking situations, or anything that has caused a sense of distress. Being able to share openly within a safe and supportive environment can be cathartic as well as provide other points of view, which can be an excellent outlet for stress.
  • Essential Oils for Addiction. Aromatherapy has shown to promote relaxation and healing. There are a variety of essential oils for addiction that offer different benefits, to helping with drug and alcohol detox, reducing carvings, supporting the immune system, relieving depression, improving sleep quality, and more.

Managing stress should be a high priority in recovery. By successfully mitigating the effects of stress, both psychological and physical, the individual has a powerful tool to help them sustain sobriety and enjoy a much more balanced and joyful life.

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