Stress and Relaxation

Talking about someone "drowning their troubles" with alcohol has been around for ages, but the idea of feeding feelings instead of experiencing them, of using food to deaden stressed out or uncomfortable emotions, in much the same way as an alcoholic might use liquor, is still gaining acceptance. Are our stressful, hi speed, sometimes emotionally disconnected lifestyles creating a deregulation in our bodies, more particularly in our limbic systems, that's throwing our emotions out of whack? And if so how does this happen?

Stress happens when the pressure and challenges of our lives exceed our ability to cope. Stress isn’t a physical problem but it can make us prone to physical and mental illness. In addition, some of the ways people cope with stress such as changing eating habits, smoking or drinking, further reduce well-being in the long term.

"By adapting and applying mindfulness-based stress reduction or MBSR in alcoholism treatment, we hope to develop an increased ability to cope with stress and enhanced psychological well-being among alcohol-dependent individuals," said Gerard J. Connors, Ph.D.

Podcast interview with G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington and Director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at that institution. He has conducted pioneering research in three areas: harm reduction, brief interventions, and relapse prevention. His books include The Tao of Sobriety: Helping You to Recover from Alcohol and Drug Addiction.

The Fantasy: Get sober, and everything will fall neatly into place. The Reality: Get sober, and watch your stress level explode. One of the many paradoxes surrounding recovery is that it can bring out the best and the worst in alcoholics and addicts. This is especially true of those who operate under stressful conditions.

A combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and Buddhist meditation can help people with drink problems turn their backs on alcohol.

If you remain in the mobilizing energy stage for a period of time, your body begins to release stored sugars and fats. You will then feel driven, pressured and tired. You may drink more coffee, smoke more and drink more alcohol. You may also experience anxiety, negative thinking or memory loss, catch a cold or get the flu more often than normal.

A researcher at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) is initiating a study of "mindfulness-based stress reduction," a technique often used in behavioral medicine for stress reduction but not before as an adjunct in the treatment of alcohol use disorders.

According to various authors in the book The Addictive Behaviors, individuals with compulsive disorders, including alcoholism, gambling, overeating, or smoking, often increase negative behavior, or undergo a relapse, after they have been through a stressful time period.

Most societies have developed methods to passively induce altered states and the relaxation response. For example, in most religions, prayer and/or meditation is common.