Anxiety and Addiction Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Los Angeles

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety disorders go beyond everyday stress or occasional overthinking. When you’re living with an anxiety disorder, your body is constantly flooded with fear — hijacking your thoughts, exhausting your energy, and making it difficult to function. You can’t just “let it go” or relax. It’s not situational stress — it’s a clinical condition.

Nearly 30% of people in the U.S. have an anxiety disorder.[1] Here are some common types:[2]

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Persistent worry about everyday situations and events, without a specific trigger.
• Social Anxiety Disorder: Fear of being judged, embarrassed, or rejected in social situations.
• Panic Disorder: Sudden episodes of intense fear or discomfort, often mistaken for heart attacks.
• Phobias: Debilitating fear of specific objects or situations, like heights, flying, or animals.

The mental and physical symptoms of anxiety vary by type, but often include racing thoughts, restlessness, muscle tension, nausea, digestive issues, trouble sleeping, and a sense of constant hypervigilance.[3] Your body stays stuck in fight-or-flight mode — reacting to danger that isn’t really there. In some cases, people may also experience panic attacks with chest pain, tingling, and a racing heart.[4]

Addiction and Interaction with Anxiety

Anxiety can be overwhelming — physically draining and mentally relentless. To find relief, many people turn to substances like alcohol, pills, or drugs to take the edge off. That’s where the cycle begins. While the relief might feel real in the moment, it’s short-lived. When it fades, anxiety often returns stronger.

Over time, substances like alcohol disrupt brain chemistry and sleep, worsening anxiety symptoms. For those with panic disorder, alcohol withdrawal can intensify panic attacks. What started as a coping tool turns into a dependency. You begin needing the substance just to function — even as it creates more problems in your life.

Anything that keeps you from becoming your best self — that dims your purpose, joy, or hope — is worth examining. Some level of anxiety is normal, but anxiety fueled by substance use becomes toxic. True healing begins when you break the cycle and get the right support.

Causes and Prevalence of Addiction and Anxiety

Drug and alcohol addiction and mental health conditions like anxiety often share overlapping causes. If you have a family history of anxiety, addiction, or both, your risk is significantly higher.[5] These conditions are also influenced by your brain chemistry — including imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA that regulate mood, relaxation, and behavior.[6]

Life experiences and your environment also play a role. Exposure to trauma or chronic stress — such as abuse, violence, grief, or instability — increases the risk of anxiety and substance use disorders.[7] Early substance use during adolescence can make the brain more vulnerable to addiction.

Many people begin using substances to self-medicate. Alcohol and drugs may seem to quiet anxiety and offer short-term relief, but the effects are temporary. Over time, substance use can worsen anxiety, creating a loop that’s hard to escape.

The connection between anxiety and addiction is more than coincidental. About 17% of people with a substance use disorder also have an anxiety disorder.[9] Among people with opioid use disorder, 21% of women and 12% of men had a lifetime anxiety diagnosis.[10] In many cases, anxiety comes first — at a rate of 57–67% — setting the stage for addiction to follow.[11]

Substance Abuse and Anxiety Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Los Angeles

At iRely Recovery, we don’t rely on gimmicks. Our battle-tested, evidence-based approaches help you break the anxiety–addiction loop and build a life of clarity, resilience, and purpose. Here’s what our comprehensive treatment includes:

• Individual Therapy: Work one-on-one with a licensed therapist to uncover root causes, reframe your story, and develop healthier coping strategies.
• Family Therapy: Repair strained relationships, establish boundaries, and stop repeating generational patterns that feed addiction and anxiety.
• Group Therapy: Share experiences and support with others who understand the struggle — no sugarcoating, just real talk and growth.
• Recovery-Oriented Treatment: Go beyond sobriety. Rebuild your life with structure, purpose, and support tailored to your goals.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Learn how to disrupt negative thought patterns and take back control from spiraling anxiety or shame-driven thinking.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Gain emotional regulation skills to stay grounded when your mind or mood feels out of control.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Move beyond avoidance by learning to accept what you can’t change — and commit to what matters most.
• Somatic Experiencing Therapy: Reconnect with your body and release stored tension or trauma so you can feel safe again in your own skin.
• Adventure Therapy: Find healing in nature through guided hikes and outdoor challenges that renew your sense of purpose and connection.
• Trauma-Informed Care: We treat your story with respect, never pressure. Our care avoids retraumatization and meets you where you are.
• Experiential Therapy: Express what words can’t through art, music, movement, and other creative outlets that foster emotional release and growth.
• Mindfulness-Based Therapy: Quiet the chaos and build inner stillness with breathing, grounding, and moment-to-moment awareness practices.
• Motivational Interviewing (MI): Not sure if you’re ready for recovery? MI helps you explore your ambivalence without judgment and discover your personal “why.”