The Connection
Your mental health and physical health are connected. When you don’t feel good mentally or physically, it can affect your whole wellbeing. In the same way, mental health can also impact our relationship to drug use and our risk for developing an addiction.
Mental health conditions and substance use disorders (SUDs) are often co-occurring. This means when someone has an SUD, they are likely to also have a mental health condition. And if they have a mental health condition, they are more likely to use drugs.
Mental health and Addiction 101
We all have mental health and can experience both positive and negative emotions. Throughout our life, our mental health situation can change depending on various factors and what’s going on in our lives. Sometimes we can develop a mental health condition or disorder, which is a serious and ongoing change in think, mood, or behavior that causes distress and problems. Some examples include anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These conditions can affect your decision-making and how you relate to other people. At times, symptoms can be serious, persistent, and interfere with daily life. If this happens, seeking help from a medical professional may be necessary.
The number of teens reporting poor mental health has increased over the past 10 years.
- In 2023, 40% of high school students stopped regular activities because of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. (Source)
- In a 2023 survey, teens ages 12-17 who had a major depressive episode in the past year were more likely than their peers to:
- Use illegal drugs, marijuana, and tobacco products.
- Misuse prescription opioids.
- Binge drink alcohol.
- (Source)
While these facts might be a little scary, but know that you are not alone. Nearly all of us will experience mental health challenges in our life. Knowing the link between mental health and drug use is a first step to empowering yourself to deal with challenges in a healthy. You are not alone and there is support to help you navigate difficult challenges.
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is the term that is used by medical professionals to describe the medical condition where someone will continue to use substances (drugs, alcohol, or even prescription medications) even though it may be harming their health, relationships, or life. Addiction is an everyday term that describes the most severe cases of SUDs. Addiction can also refer to other behaviors that can be compulsive, such as gambling, shopping, or even using your phone. While all drug addictions are considered SUDs, not all SUDs are considered addictions. Substance use is different for everyone can be viewed on a spectrum. Understanding where you are on the spectrum can help empower you to find ways to improve your health and wellbeing. Click here to learn more about the substance use spectrum!
Facts to Know About Substance Use Disorders
- Not everyone who uses drugs will be addicted, but anyone can develop an addiction. The truth is, the first time you use drugs, it might even feel really good. But, over time, drug use can change how your brain works, making it harder to stop even when it starts hurting your health, relationships, or future.
- SUDs are a medical condition that impacts the brain’s reward and decision-making pathways. It is a treatable condition, and people can recover from it. There are medications for opioid and alcohol use disorder that can help manage cravings and help the brain heal. These medications can be lifesavers for some people.
- The more someone uses substances, the more the brain tells the body that we need this substance to feel good. It can get to the point where someone may need the substance to even feel normal.
- Because the brain is still developing, younger people can get addicted faster and more intensely than adults. Research shows that the majority of adults who have SUDs started using substances during their teen and young adult years.
Signs of a Substance Use Disorder
- Taking the substance in larger amounts and for a longer amount of time than you meant to
- Having a strong desire or urge to use the substance
- Having unsuccessful efforts to cut down or manage substance use
- Spending a lot of time obtaining or using the substance or recovering from its effects
- Having issues completing things that need to be done at school, home, or work
- Continuing to use substances even when it causes problems with your friends or family
- Giving up things you love doing, your hobbies, or activities with your friends because of substance use
- Using substances even when it puts you in dangerous or risky situations
- Continuing to use substances even though there are physical or mental health problems that are worsened or caused by the substance
- Developing a tolerance (feeling like you need more to get the same effect)
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop using the substance.
Recovery is a process that people with mental health and substance use disorders can go through to improve their health, wellness, and quality of life. Recovery isn’t about being perfect, it’s about moving forward and having hope! Throughout recovery, you can learn to build coping skills, strengthen relationships, reach person goals, and create a future that feels meaningful and defined by you.
Facts about Recovery
- Recovery is different for everyone. What works for someone else may not work for you.
- There is no “right” path in recovery.
- Setbacks can happen, and that’s okay. It’s a part of learning and doesn’t mean someone is a failure.
- You don’t have to hit “rock bottom” to get help.
- Recovery is about building the life you want and focusing on your goals for your health and future.
Four Dimensions of Recovery
- Home: Having a safe environment, having trusted adults in your life, and feeling secure at home.
- Health: Managing your physical and mental health, taking care of your body, managing stress, getting enough sleep.
- Purpose: Participate in activities that mean a lot to you and working towards personal goals.
- Community: Building strong relationships and connections with friends, family, or chosen family.
Mental health is complex and there are many factors that can impact it. Everyone’s mental health is shaped by a unique combination of experiences, circumstances, and choices. While we can’t control everything that affects our mental health, we can focus on building supportive relationships, healthy habits, and seeking help when we need it. Understanding the different factors that is impacting our mental health can empower us to take steps to support our well-being.
Factors That We Can’t Control
- Genetics and Family History: Mental health conditions can run in the family
- Unexpected Life Events: Experiencing the loss of a loved one or tragic events
- Childhood Experiences: Sometimes there is trauma that happened in our lives that we cannot change.
- Brain Chemistry
- Community and Environment: Neighborhood safety, or access to help
- Major Life Transitions: Moving, changing schools, or getting older
- Worldwide or Current Events
Factors That We Can Control
- Taking Care of Our Body: Sleep, eating well, exercising
- Social Relationships: Building strong relationships with loved ones
- Healthy Boundaries: Being able to say “no” and drawing the line when something crosses your values or harms you
- Healthy Coping Skills: Being able to manage stress in healthy ways
- Seeking Help: Reaching out to people when you’re struggling
- Social Media and Screen Time: Being mindful of how online content or ragebait affects your mood
Healthy Coping Skills
When there are difficult situations that cause us a lot of stress, we may do different things to help us cope (feel better) with the situation. These coping skills are tools that help us face problems and reduce our stress.
Healthy Coping Skills: Tools that help relieve stress through nurturing your mental and physical well-being. It helps build resilience and long-term emotional stability.
Unhealthy Coping Skills: Tools that numbs the stress and avoids the feelings. It tends to create more stress and leads to more mental health concerns. Examples of unhealthy coping skills are substance use, isolation, and doomscrolling.
What do you like to do to manage your stress?
- Listen to your favorite songs
- Doing something creative
- Sports or other exercise
- A short walk or run
- Journal and write down thougts and feelings
- Play a musical instrument
- Talk with a friend
- Play a video game
- Unplug from technology, stop doomscrolling
Grounding Techniques
If you are struggling in the moment, grounding techniques can help calm the nervous system. This can help you manage strong and intense emotions at that time to help you refocus and navigate difficult situations. It can bring you from being overwhelmed to a calmer mindset.
- Box Breathing Technique: inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold it for 4 seconds. Repeat, as needed.
- The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: Scan your surroundings to identify 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste.
- Shock Your Senses: Splash cold water on your face or hold an ice cube in your hand.
- Grounding to the Earth: Stand or sit with your feet flat on the floor. Push down while concentrating on the contact between your feet and the ground.
Pima County Partners
Funding Disclaimer:
Funding for this campaign was made possible (in part) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Overdose Data to Action: Limiting Overdose through Collaborative Actions in Localities (OD2A:LOCAL) grant. The views expressed in materials, publications, or by partners, do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
