Nervous Breakdown and Drug Addiction

A nervous breakdown or mental breakdown is a traumatic experience that can leave a person feeling lost, helpless, and alone.

Overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, and depression, people who suffer a nervous breakdown are desperate for relief. Sometimes they may turn to drugs or alcohol to suppress their symptoms if they see no other options.

Coping with a mental breakdown is tremendously difficult in the best of circumstances. But substance use can make the situation far worse. When you’re in the midst of a nervous breakdown your judgment and self-control will be severely impaired. Consequently, if you start using drugs or alcohol you can slip into addiction in a shockingly short period of time.

Overcoming addiction and healing after a nervous breakdown will test your resolve and determination. Fortunately, you don’t have to go through it alone.

A nervous breakdown is not a clinical diagnosis. It describes a state where emotional turmoil becomes so strong and so debilitating that daily functioning is virtually impossible. It includes feelings of intense anxiety, sadness, fear, emptiness, and isolation, which may develop suddenly or over a few days or weeks.

The symptoms of a nervous breakdown can be devastating. This is especially true if the person experiencing them doesn’t seek help right away. People undergoing a nervous breakdown may neglect their personal, professional, or parental responsibilities, feeling too overwhelmed and helpless to handle even the simplest of tasks.

If someone experiences a nervous breakdown but does not get help, their condition may worsen. They may suffer panic attacks, have flashbacks to past traumas, experience visual or auditory hallucinations, and find it impossible to sleep or slow down.

In some cases, people who have a nervous breakdown will develop drug problems because of their attempts to self-medicate when the anxiety and confusion are too much to bear. However, addiction can sometimes precede a nervous breakdown, and the breakdown may be a consequence of the mental, emotional, and physical stresses that accompany a substance use disorder.

One thing that addiction and a nervous breakdown have in common is that they both constitute a serious medical crisis. When they occur together, the dangers can be especially acute.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, with the ability to cause feelings of relaxation and mild euphoria. Its effects can be felt quickly, and that makes it attractive to people who are under stress or plagued by symptoms of uncontrollable anxiety.

However, a nervous breakdown causes intense anxiety that can be chronic if real treatment is not provided. Whatever impact alcohol has, it will only be temporary, since the anxiety and feelings of helplessness will return again and again. If you develop the habit of using alcohol to suppress anxiety or cope with the stress associated with a nervous breakdown, your drinking can quickly run out of control.

A person who’s suffered a nervous breakdown and is abusing alcohol needs help and support from family, friends, and addiction and mental health specialists. A dual diagnosis treatment program for alcoholism and a nervous breakdown is based entirely on evidence-based medicine and time-tested treatment methodologies. We’ve helped many people overcome significant emotional, psychological, and behavioral problems with our approach, and we can help you too, if you’re ready to let us.

When you’re plagued by the symptoms of a nervous breakdown, you might consider anything that might calm your nerves, restore your confidence, or make the depression vanish, even if it’s only for a little while. Many people who experience these symptoms will experiment with illicit drugs or prescription medications, mixing and matching substances in search of the magical combination that lessens their emotional pain.

Stimulants like methamphetamine or cocaine, prescription drugs like opiates or benzodiazepines that can suppress central nervous system activity, and other illicit substances are all highly addictive and can cause an overdose if abused. They may seem to help against your anxiety and depression when you first start taking them, but that is an illusion that will ultimately crush you if you can’t see through it.

When you’ve suffered a nervous breakdown, your symptoms need professional addiction and mental health treatment. This is your best hope for turning things around before your substance abuse causes immense damage to your health and your personal life. If medications are prescribed by treatment specialists, they will be targeted at specific symptoms you’ve experienced and dosages will be carefully monitored to ensure safety.

World-class drug rehab programs provide a mixture of expertise and compassion, which can give you hope as it gives you relief.

A nervous breakdown is not a specific diagnosis. But mental health experts can recognize the distinctive symptoms that indicate this is what you’ve had. This is essential if you are to receive the recovery services you need to regain your emotional equilibrium. Drug or alcohol dependency is a significant complication, but if you come to Alta Mira we’ll create a customized treatment regimen that addresses every aspect of your medical situation.

At Alta Mira, we understand the overwhelming nature of a nervous breakdown and the equally debilitating effects of drug addiction. Our treatment plans for co-occurring disorders are comprehensive, personalized, and carefully designed to lead you back to sobriety and psychological and emotional wellness.

To help you gain control over your addiction, we offer medical detox services onsite. Under our care and supervision, your condition will be monitored on a 24-hour basis, with all appropriate healthcare services provided based on your diagnosis and the overall state of your health. In detox, you’ll begin the transition to sobriety, and your withdrawal symptoms will be managed to reduce their frequency and intensity.

Following detox, you’ll move on to formal treatment at our addiction recovery facility. Your treatment plan will include daily therapy in individual, group, and family formats, with your individual counseling sessions forming the foundation of your long-term healing plan.

During individual therapy you’ll explore the hidden causes of your nervous breakdown and drug issues, searching for answers in your past history and personality characteristics. The goal of these explorations is always solution-oriented, and as you gain greater self-understanding your sense of hope and empowerment will grow. In group and family therapy, you’ll build constructive relationships with peers and loved ones who can give you greater motivation to change.

To supplement your core recovery program, experiential and holistic therapies as well as intensive group workshops will be offered. These additional services may include mind-body holistic practices like meditation, yoga, arts and music therapy, massage therapy, equine, rope therapy, hiking, kayaking, acupuncture, and other alternative healing methodologies.

Techniques such as these can improve your mental and physical health and reduce your vulnerability to anxiety and stress. Life skills, coping skills, and relapse prevention workshops and classes will introduce practical strategies to support lasting change while giving you greater insight into the dynamics of your drug use and mental health issues.

Once your residential nervous breakdown and addiction treatment program is complete, your recovery will continue in aftercare. Your counselors, peers in 12-step or similar groups, and loved ones who attend family therapy sessions will support your commitment to staying clean and sober and reinforce your determination to deal with your mental health issues honestly and forthrightly.

With a true dedication to recovery, lasting wellness is possible. A nervous breakdown is traumatizing, and when addiction develops in its wake it can leave you hurting terribly and afraid for your future. But with a true dedication to recovery, and empathic, evidence-based support, you can turn your life around and regain control over your destiny.