Are Stress and Drug Abuse Related

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there was a surge in the rate of sale of street drugs in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This national tragedy was the cause of an enormous increase in the overall levels of stress for an overwhelming majority of the United States population, and the resultant rise in drug sales indicates that there may be a demonstrable relationship between stress and drug abuse. Indeed, the idea that such a relationship exists is widely accepted as being true, and many people can relate to the experience of reaching for a drink or using drugs as a way to relieve their stress or to escape from pressure. The link between stress and drug use has been repeatedly acknowledged by clinicians and addiction recovery specialists.

For example, stressful experiences are cited as being among the most powerful triggers for a relapse in a recovering addict, even in cases where he or she has been sober for a relatively long period of time. The stress will often drive the individual to seek refuge in drugs or alcohol. In addition to observations such as this, extensive research has been performed to provide scientific evidence of the connection. This topic was the subject of a report issued by NIDA shortly following 9/11, “Stress and Substance Abuse: A Special Report After the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.”


Specifically, the research which is cited by NIDA has to do with corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), a type of biochemical which is released into the brains of humans and many animals in the presence of stress. Once the CRF is present in the brain, it serves as the catalyst for a cascading series of other biological processes which are associated with both chemical substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. The substance CRF is so strongly linked with stress that when it is administered artificially to a test subject, the subject will normally begin exhibiting behaviors which are indicative of stress. People who are subjected to chronic stress will often lose the proper regulation of the hormonal responses which follow the release of CRF, with the result that they may have difficulty feeling normal or experiencing a sense of general well-being.

As a result, many of them turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to self-medicate. These chemical substances do not repair the damage that has been done or restore the natural chemical balances, but they do have the effect of providing the user with relief and in some cases euphoria or elation. It can further be supposed that the interplay of stress and substance abuse would bring about a descending spiral, since the already disturbed brain chemistry of the stressed person would be further disrupted by drugs or drinking, causing an even less stable state, with the result of more stress and increased motivation to get drunk or high.

Avoid Drugs and Alcohol in the Face of Stress

The observations made by NIDA in the wake of 9/11 are especially important now. While there has not been a repeat terrorist attack on such a massive scale as the World Trade Center attack, today’s world is if anything even more stressful than it was more than a decade ago. Now, Americans face a seemingly endless line of alarming news reports concerning mass shootings, grisly murders, the looming threat of international war, and all of this against the backdrop of an uncertain economic climate. To make matters worse, we have now seen the first major terrorist attack on American soil in many years with the Boston marathon bombing.

If all of these stressful factors or other life situations are driving you or someone you love to seek comfort or escape in the form of drugs or alcohol, you should take heed of the warning provided by NIDA. While you may experience some type of momentary relief, there is simply too great a chance that you will become physiologically and emotionally dependent on your substance abuse, and you could be setting yourself up for a life with far more stress than anything you experience now.