Dealing with co-occurring addiction and mental health conditions

Introduction

The age-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Transliterated to today’s topic: Which caused which — addiction, or mental health? Like many things in this realm, it seems like it boils down to different cases. Many people experienced signs of mental health problems as children, and addictions made them worse. Others were essentially normal until drugs got in the way.

Regardless of where along the spectrum you are (punt intended), one thing regarding this topic seems clear: many of those who suffer from addictions also struggle with their mental health. In this post, we’ll look at how to gradually overcome addiction problems when one has mental health problems, as well as how to gradually alleviate one’s mental health traumas when also healing from addictions. May the Force be with you!

Note: nothing in this article should be construed as medical advice. Please contact your physician before acting on any of this information that is in conflict with their advice.

How to overcome addictions when you have mental health problems

We can get so lost in our thoughts and in the sauce that sometimes we forget that no one is an island. The best way to overcome our addictions when we have mental health problems is to try and find others who have mental health problems that have overcome their addictions. For example, both my sponsor as well as someone else I know in the recovery community both have mental health problems and we have collaborated to overcome our addiction problems.

If you’re shy or introverted, view it as part of your mountain to climb to reach out to others and find connection so that you can break free from the things that are holding you back. “Progress over perfection”. This is another benefit of going to meetings. My sponsor says I need to go to more in person meetings to get myself out there as I’m shy, and deep down I know he’s got a point.

Another part about recovering with a mental health issue is that we often ruminate over our perceived problems as well as “the good old days” when we were using. Day by day, train your mind to focus on the good things about your life now that you’re sober. When you catch yourself thinking about the times you used to party, remind yourself of how it all ended up and the desperation you were feeling trying to get sober. If you aren’t sober yet and you’re debating about it, look for examples of all the people who got sober and had their lives totally upgraded in ways they never initially anticipated.

Something else to encourage you along this particular journey is that mental health medication often interferes with substances, even alcohol. Mixing my medication with alcohol was causing noticeable breathing problems at night, and since I stopped drinking they’ve almost completely went away.

If you’re mental health condition is self diagnosed and you don’t have medication for it, it’s definitely advised to see a medical professional (which I am not). When my mental health problems were at their worst, I had a strong distrust for institutions that are put in place to help people. As a result, I had multiple mental breakdowns that have left my psyche much more fragile than it had to be if I had listened to those around me and seen a doctor earlier along in my journey. Thankfully, the Most High protects His children and it is all for His glory, so now I’m in a much healthier place mentally. But I had to get on the proper medication as part of facilitating that healing.

Another option for helping your mental health along with an addiction is seeking professional help from someone who specializes in those areas of expertise. These include counselors, therapists, social workers, and peer support specialists. There may be others, those are the ones I’m familiar with as an American. It may require you to reach out a bit to find one that’s the right fit, but it’s well worth the effort to get even a few good therapy sessions with a counselor whose mission is helping others in that capacity.

It took me one social worker and one other therapist before I found the therapist that I currently have on-call. We had a few wonderful sessions that really helped me, and the last time I spoke to her she observed some things about where I’m at that I’m still doing my best to work on so we’re on pause until I can work those out and report back to her. If I move and no longer have her in network, I’ll likely get another therapist and have a frame of reference for the kind I’m looking for.

Options for finding mental health help of this kind range from online communities like betterhelp, a private counselor, or even your local community health center that has in-house therapists. This final option is the one I ultimately had success with.

This may all seem like a lot to do at once. Take it one step at a time. Do an inventory of where you’re at along your journey, and then identify the most important/urgent next steps to take based on your personal circumstances.

Finally, when your mental health is at its lows, it can be a challenge to make level-headed decisions on your own. Reach out to your support group — family, friends, your significant other — and ask them for their perspective on what next steps to take in order to return to a level of serenity as it relates to your mental health. Good luck, and may the Force be with you!

Dealing with addiction when you have mental health challenges

When addicted to processes or substances with a mental problem, life can feel very lonely. What may have started as an attempt to fit in ironically leaves us even more isolated than we ever felt before. Thankfully, that makes the solution quite apparent: connection to others. This, of course, is easier said than done.

When our addictions are at their height and we are battling with our own inner mental struggles, many of us become scared or even at a loss for how to connect with others. Thankfully, socialization is like a skill that can be developed over time. Start by calling people you know more. Look for recovery meetings, even if they’re just online. Both AA and Recovery Dharma have online meetings every day of the week on their respective platforms (“Meeting guide” phone app for AA, https://recoverydharma.org/meetings/ for RD).

If you can think of something to share at the meetings, go for it. Once you’re a bit more comfortable attending and sharing at meetings, you can start serving at meetings which will give you more opportunities to connect. This can be making the coffee, keeping the time, being the greeter, setting up chairs/literature, or even chairing the meetings. “Easy does it”.

Eventually, you’ll make friends in the recovery community and find at least a few people you really gel with. If you thoroughly work the steps, you’ll be making amends with quite a few people which can result in rekindling old friendships (situational). Once you’re more comfortable with socialization, you can start connecting with strangers in your community as you interact with them, and you may even make a friend or two that way. The point is to get started. It may be rough at first, but once you find your stride, the sky’s the limit.

Conclusion

Although recovering from mental health and co-occurring addiction problems is too involved for any one post, I hope this post helped you brainstorm some ideas about how you can overcome your challenges in healthy and productive ways.

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As always, may the Force be with you!