There are all sorts of risk factors for addiction. Oftentimes, genetics is the driving factor. In other cases, mental health conditions are the cause.
What you might not realize, however, is that stress can lead to addiction as well. Whether it’s because you’re chronically overworked, facing a huge life change, or otherwise, the mental strain can cause you to turn to illicit substances like drugs and alcohol as a means of coping.
The problem is that it can be challenging to break the stress cycle. This is why, for many, the solution is to seek Florida addiction treatment.
We’re going to dive into the specifics of stress and addiction and explain how Florida addiction treatment can help you kick your addiction to the curb. Let’s get into it.
How Does Stress Lead to Addiction to Drugs and Alcohol?
Stress occurs in a person when that person is faced with something that’s detrimental to their well-being. For instance, if a person has a big project at work, they might fear that failure could lead to a demotion or unemployment. As such, their body has a stress response.
When the body has a stress response, the brain becomes filled with chemicals. Some of these, like serotonin, are good for a person’s mental health. Others, like cortisol, cause a person to become fatigued and agitated.
In cases where cortisol is consistently flowing to the brain at high levels, depression and anxiety can eventually arise. When depression and anxiety arise, some individuals will self-medicate with drugs, alcohol, junk food, and other vices.
If they self-medicate for a long enough period of time, they can become addicted to their vice of choice. So, in essence, because they were stressed chronically, they ended up becoming addicted to substances.
Healthy Methods for Combating Stress
Using drugs and alcohol to combat stress is never a good idea and should be avoided as much as possible. Instead of indulging in these substances as a means of combating your stress, you should try the following:
Exercise
Exercise is integral to life for a variety of reasons, one of which is stress relief. When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins. These “feel good” chemicals help directly combat the effects of cortisol, resulting in short-term and long-term stress relief.
Whether it’s weightlifting, walking, running, biking, or otherwise, exercise should be a regular part of your life. Exercise 3 to 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes a day for the best results.
Get Sufficient Sleep
Far too many people fail to get adequate sleep. This stands to reason, as modern life can be rife with responsibility. Nonetheless, you need to make sure you’re getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.
Sleep deprivation can not only lead to stress but to a whole host of other mental health issues. These include anxiety, depression, and, in more serious cases, can spur on conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Spend Time With Others
Modern life includes a great deal of isolation. In many cases, people go days or even weeks without spending quality time with others. This can lead to great mental stress, which can then lead to problems like alcoholism and drug abuse.
In essence, you need to make time for others. Spending even a few hours a week with friends can make all the difference in the world.
Journal Your Thoughts
One last tip is to write your thoughts in a journal. Getting your thoughts out of your and onto paper can help you regulate them. This can, in turn, help quell stress.
How Can You Benefit from a Florida Alcohol Rehab?
If you are struggling with alcohol or drug abuse, you should strongly consider engaging in a Florida alcohol detox program. These programs come with all of the resources necessary to help individuals kick their addictions to the curb. 
At a Florida drug detox center, you’ll have the help of doctors, nurses, psychologists, caretakers, and an array of other individuals. These individuals will help you devise strategies for combatting your stress, all the while guiding you through detox.
You’ll also be provided with a calm and comfortable environment in which to combat your addiction. This environment will be free of negative influences and will give you the best shot possible of successful recovery.
There are rehab facilities all over the state of Florida, not to mention in all other states throughout the country. If you’re interested in going to an out-of-state rehab facility, check this one out.
The Risk of Going to Florida Rehab Facilities
If you’re suffering from stress-based addiction, you should strongly consider visiting a Florida addiction treatment center. That said, Florida drug rehab faces some serious issues. For instance, many Florida detox centers participate in the shady practice of body brokering.
This is a process wherein a rehab facility pays a third party to obtain new patients for them. The third party is offered a kickback and the rehab facility makes a bogus claim with the patient’s health insurance company. All the while, the facility makes no genuine attempt to treat the patient’s addiction.
Unfortunately, this has become highly prominent in the state of Florida, and so, for many individuals, it’s best to receive treatment outside of the state. This way, you can be sure you’re receiving legitimate care.
Receive Florida Addiction Treatment in Massachusetts
As was noted above, going to a Florida addiction treatment center can be risky. Fortunately, you don’t have to settle for Florida addiction treatment in Florida; you have the option to attend a rehab center out of the state as well.
Interested in going to addiction treatment in Massachusetts? If so, you should consider Mayflower, the Bay State’s premier detox center. We offer a variety of drug rehab programs, from alcohol detox to cocaine detox to fentanyl detox and more.
Contact us now to discuss addiction treatment options! 
