April is Stress Awareness Month, and here at Rehab 4 Addiction, we’re keen to spread the word of this year’s wonderful theme: #BeTheChange.
It’s a concept that applies to addiction as well as stress. Leaning on the support of others will always be crucial, but this month, we’re inviting you to explore how you can make a change on an individual level. You’d be surprised how much you can do!
Looking for support for addiction? You’re in the right place.
We’re here to point you in the right direction for life-changing support. Simply give us a call on 0800 140 4690 (UK) or +44 345 222 3508 (international) to speak with our advisors.
We’ve all felt stressed at some point in our lives, but most of us don’t know enough about where stress comes from, and how it affects us over time.
Stress usually occurs as a response to pressure. It can be felt physically (dizziness, fatigue, breathlessness) and mentally (racing thoughts, anxiety, depression).
It’s natural to feel stressed from time to time, but regularly feeling stressed can lead to serious health issues.
Acute stress, or temporary stress, is what happens when we briefly feel stressed, such as when we walk into a hospital to get surgery, or when we’re about to have a tough conversation with a loved one.
This kind of stress is generally less damaging as it happens over a short period of time.
Acute stress can even be useful! Stress before public speaking is a great example of this. A healthy amount of stress can cause you to think carefully about your speech, and put effort into your performance.
That being said, acute stress is still harmful if it’s happening too often. Some people find themselves feeling stressed about all sorts of things throughout their day, and this can hinder their ability to enjoy life.
Chronic stress is when we’re dealing with long-term pressure, such as family troubles or health issues.
This type of stress is more closely linked to poor mental health, as it’s an ongoing experience that can cause severe overwhelm.
Every April since 1992, the Stress Management Society has promoted Stress Awareness Month, through themes such as #LeadWithLove and #LittleByLittle (1).
This year’s theme is #BeTheChange, and we couldn’t be more passionate about this initiative!
The idea is that we can always do more than we think we can. As much as external support is hugely important, let’s get thinking about what we can do as individuals to lower our stress and challenge attitudes towards stress in our homes, workplaces, and elsewhere.
The primary aims of Stress Awareness Month are:
So, where do you fit in?
Practical tools, guidance and resources are all available for you to browse on the Stress Management Society website. Increasing your understanding of stress will help you to have empathy for yourself and others, and learn how to better manage stress.
Beyond this, consider how you can create open conversations about stress. Could you start with a casual dinner-time discussion as a family?
These kinds of topics are often avoided in favour of lighter subjects, but April is the perfect time to initiate the discussion, and find out how each of your family members copes with stress.
When we talk about taking action, it’s not all about what you can do for others. Your journey starts with you, so why not experiment with stress reduction techniques? Try it for just one week, and keep a diary to record how you feel.
Some ideas for stress reduction are:
Stress is nothing to be ashamed of. If you feel stress is taking over your life, it’s important to #BeTheChange by seeking professional help, such as therapy or counselling.
Stress is part of the cycle of addiction. It’s a common cause of someone beginning to engage in addictive behaviours. Stress can be the reason someone starts taking drugs, and it can also be a reason low-risk drug taking evolves into a high-risk lifestyle.
As you can imagine, drugs and alcohol don’t fix stress. Let’s look at an example together.
Tom had been using cocaine occasionally for the past 10 years. When his wife died, he started taking cocaine much more frequently, and taking more of it than he ever used to.
He felt he was only ever happy in those moments when the cocaine kicked in, and he temporarily forgot about his pain.
Enjoying this escape, Tom kept reaching for cocaine any time he felt particularly down, and developed a complete reliance on it. Later, this developed into a cocaine use disorder.
Thankfully, with some help from his loved ones, Tom agreed to go to private cocaine rehab for 28 days to get sober.
However, the journey was particularly challenging. Tom felt more stressed than ever, which made it much harder for him to regulate his emotions and deal with cravings.
The rehab facility taught Tom that people with addiction tend to experience heightened stress symptoms (2). This already reduced some stigma surrounding stress, and helped Tom feel less isolated.
Tom learnt a range of stress management techniques at rehab, and whilst he still struggles from time to time, he feels much more in control of both addiction and stress.
If stress is so personal, why can’t we just keep it to ourselves, and quietly manage pressure?
Stress thrives in private. It’s heavily stigmatised, and can make people feel as though they’re at fault for struggling with pressure.
As soon as we start openly discussing it, stress becomes less intimidating as a concept, and we feel more confident taking action.
This doesn’t mean you have to incorporate stress into every small talk interaction. Just think about how it could benefit you to be more open about stress in certain contexts, such as with friends or with a therapist.
The good news is, talking about stress generally gets easier the more we do it. At first, it may feel impossible, maybe too vulnerable, too shameful, or even pointless.
But the more we practise, the more natural it feels; especially if we feel as though it’s safe to open up. This is why it’s crucial to start the conversations in environments where you feel comfortable and supported.
Stress is something we all deal with, but we don’t have to suffer in silence. We can #BeTheChange this April by opening up conversations, exploring helpful tools, and incorporating stress management activities into our everyday lives!
If you’re battling stress in the midst of addiction, it’s never a good idea to work through it alone. When your mental health is at serious risk, professional help is needed.
Reach out to Rehab 4 Addiction on 0800 140 4690 (UK) or +44 345 222 3508 (international) to find out how we can support you with both your addiction and your stress levels.
Below, we answer some common questions around this topic:
We live in a world that values packed schedules and overworking, so it may not feel natural to attempt to slow down.
However, intentionally slowing down is so important for your wellbeing. You can do this by:
You don’t have to live with severe stress. There are plenty of treatments out there that will help you to reduce your stress, from therapy/counselling to self-help groups and online resources.
If you’ve got an addiction or dependence, addiction-specific treatment will naturally help with your stress, as the two are so closely connected. The best option for most people is inpatient rehab, but you could also look into outpatient treatment, home detoxing, addiction counselling, sober living etc.
Get in touch with Rehab 4 Addiction to explore your options in more detail.
Stress does commonly contribute to addiction, which is something to keep in mind if you’re dealing with regular acute stress, or any chronic stress.
However, there are many other factors that contribute to addiction, not just stress. Plenty of people who are stressed will never end up developing a substance use disorder.
It’s about keeping your risk as low as possible. Consider how you can lower your individual risk, such as:
[1] https://www.stress.org.uk/stress-awareness-month-2026/
[2] https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trauma-and-stress#connection
