The Little Blue Book

Drugs and alcohol as ‘self-medication’ The emotional pain and grief that can accompany psychological distress, chronic anxiety and depression can be unrelenting, and, for some, paralysing. If not given the right support or reluctant (for whatever reason) to seek help, those suffering in this way are at increased risk of reaching for alcohol or drugs (or ‘losing themselves’ in gambling or other destructive diversionary activities) to numb the intrusive thoughts that blanket their days and nights. The risks to wellbeing from psychological distress (and related disorders) and the comorbidity of substance-use disorders is well- documented. A US study showed that 52% of males and 28% of females suffering PTSD meet “the lifetime criteria (lifetime use) for alcohol misuse or dependence”, and that “35% of men and 27% of women with PTSD” meet the criteria for lifetime drug misuse. 1 For some, turning to drugs and/or alcohol can be a response to seeking to establish a degree of control in their lives; to mask the private pain they’re feeling, to find relief and to escape – even if only temporarily – from the cloud of negative thoughts that blanket their waking hours. “Males and females who consumed alcohol at risky and high-risk levels for long-term harm were more likely to report high or very high levels of psychological distress… (and)… use of any illicit drug (is) correlated with high or very high levels of psychological distress for both males and females.” 2 RECOGNISING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND OTHER DISORDERS 86