ADHD and Addiction
ADHD frequently co-occurs with substance use disorder.
Read more →Anxiety and Addiction
Anxiety disorders — generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, and specific phobias — commonly co-occur with substance use disorder.
Signs of self-medication
When use is doing a job.
Substance use that started as a way to manage symptoms eventually creates its own problem. These are the patterns we see most often in patients with co-occurring anxiety and addiction:
- Drinking or using sedatives to manage social situations or panic
- Needing alcohol to fall asleep or face daily stressors
- Substance use that escalates from occasional to daily for a sense of calm
- Rebound anxiety the morning after use or between doses
- Avoiding situations that previously triggered anxiety only when sober
- Use that began with a legitimate prescription and gradually escalated
- Physical symptoms — racing heart, sweating, shortness of breath — that drive further use to self-soothe
Integrated treatment approach
Both conditions, one plan.
Clinical sequence
Integrated treatment addresses the anxiety driving use and the substance use that is now amplifying anxiety, in the same program at the same time. The clinical sequence includes medical stabilization, structured behavioral therapy such as CBT, and — where clinically indicated — non-addictive psychiatric medication (SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone) that treats anxiety without dependence risk. Benzodiazepine prescribing for clients with active substance use disorder is generally avoided.
DSM-5: F41.1, F41.0, F40
Therapies we use
Evidence-based for this pairing.
Different condition pairs respond to different therapies. The modalities below have the strongest evidence base for co-occurring anxiety and addiction.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Individual Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Relapse Prevention
Insurance coverage
Typically covered.
Commercial insurance plans typically cover integrated treatment for anxiety co-occurring with substance use, including behavioral-health and medical assessment, medication management, and evidence-based therapy. Our admissions team verifies your specific plan's coverage as part of that first conversation.
Coverage is determined by medical necessity. Call admissions and we'll verify your specific plan as part of that first conversation.
Other dual-diagnosis conditions
More conditions we treat alongside SUD.
Bipolar Disorder and Addiction
Bipolar disorder and substance use disorder frequently occur together.
Read more →Depression and Addiction
Depression and substance use disorder co-occur at very high rates, and the relationship runs both ways — depression increases the risk of substance use, and chronic substance use worsens depression.
Read more →Personality Disorders and Addiction
Personality disorders — long-standing patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating that create ongoing distress or conflict — frequently co-occur with substance use disorder.
Read more →PTSD, Trauma, and Addiction
PTSD and substance use disorder co-occur at high rates.
Read more →Sleep Disorders and Addiction
Disrupted sleep is one of the most common co-occurring issues in addiction treatment.
Read more →
Take the next step
Treat anxiety and addiction and substance use together.
Admissions answers 24/7. We work with commercial insurance and verify your specific coverage on the call.