Social Anxiety And Self-Medication Research

Today, one out of every thirteen adults abuse alcohol or are alcoholics. That means nearly thirteen million Americans have a drinking problem. (www.niaaa.nih.gov) This topic offers a broad range of ideas to be researched within the psychological field. For this particular project, the topic of alcoholism and the psychological effects on people best fit the criteria. Alcoholism is defined as a disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on alcoholic beverages, leading to physical and psychological harm and impaired social and vocational functioning. (www.dictionary.com) Through this project, the most important information regarding personal experiences

Social anxiety is a prevalent and common disorder amongst society. Social anxiety disorder is expressed as a fear in public and social situations for an individual (Kashdan, Farmer, Adams, Mcknight, Ferssizidis, Nezelf 2013). A person with social anxiety fears that a social appearance, outcome, or situation will lead a to negative response to their surrounding audience (Kashdan, Farmer, Adams, Mcknight, Ferssizidis, Nezelf 2013). However there are numerous treatments for social anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most efficacious treatments that a patient may receive (Hambrick, Weeks, Harb, & Heimberg, 2003. Cognitive behavioral therapy has numerous techniques that can be used on patients. The result of using cognitive

(2014) examined four personality traits and student alcohol abuse and hypothesized that anxiety would have an affect on alcohol use. The study concluded impulsivity was the only trait to effect alcohol abuse and not anxiety, supporting the current studies findings. Seigers and Carey (2010) were unable to determine if stress and anxiety cause the AUD or if alcohol causes greater stress and anxiety and perhaps this is why the articles findings and the current studies findings show no effect. There was a high amount of variability (R2 = .08) suggesting other variables affected students reasons for alcohol abuse. Some reasons may be the student’s family history with alcohol and drugs, no access to alcohol, or religious practices. The results may be interpreted as BSU students deal with stress and anxiety in healthier ways other than self-medicating with harmful substances like

The goal of the study aimed to determine if the effects of anxiety and depression on alcohol-related problems are best explained via their associations with DTC with specific effects or via their associations with more global measure o DTC by testing four distinct models.

Other assessment techniques include regular screenings of patients diagnosed with social anxiety disorder to detect indications of alcohol dependence. For example, the use of drinking motive questions is clinically supported as a beneficial tool. According to the Drinking Motives Questionnaire, there are four established drinking motives: social, enhancement, coping, and conformity. Of these motives for drinking, coping is considered to be the most significant risk factor for alcohol dependence (Miller et al., 2013).

The article of Terlecki and Buckner (2015) suggests that for undergraduate students there is a relationship between conformity and drinking. The researchers’ findings imply that undergraduates have a tendency of alleviating their social anxiety through means of coping and conforming to the values and practices of the group (Terlecki and Buckner, 2015). In addition, undergraduates who identifies with social anxiety tend to have higher possibilities of drinking problems. In university, drinking is a form of social gathering or get together. Alcohol beverages are present in almost all of the events. Inhibitions and Restraints are not present in university giving undergrads complete independence. As mentioned earlier, undergraduates

Relaxation, celebrating, and socializing are often reasons people engage in alcohol. However, the enjoyment of alcohol in moderation may become difficult for some individuals to manage when using alcohol as coping mechanisms or scapegoat, for other underlining issues: personal, social and work-related concerns. Unfortunately, lack of proper management may or can result into alcoholism. According to the DSM-V alcoholism is diagnosed as alcohol use disorder or alcohol addiction, in which a person becomes physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol to the point that he or she cannot function without it (American Psychiatric Association,2013).

Grant, B. F., Fredrick, S. S. and Deborah, A. D. (2004). Prevalence and Co ? Occurrence of Substance Use Disorders and Independent Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Results From the national Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 61(8): 807-

The cognitive behavioural therapy and relapse prevention aim at improving social skills and self-control and are repeatedly found effective in reducing drinking, therefore making them ideal for treatment of alcohol abuse (79, 1090, 1092–1094). Cognitive behavioural therapy treatment, comprising of behavioural self-control training (including self-monitoring, goal setting, goal achievement rewards, analysis of drinking triggers and learning to cope with those triggers) and stress management interventions have produced better results than that of control treatments in fifty percent of studies (79, 1090, 1095–1097). Follow up studies also show better outcomes for the individuals who display improved self-efficacy at the conclusion of treatment (184, 1098–1100) as well as for those who used mastery or problem solving as a coping mechanism instead of avoiding triggering situations (43, 265, 959, 1101).

Among all anxiety problems, social anxiety disorder is most common anxiety issue and third most common problem in all mental complications (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Hofmann & Bogels, 2006). SAD is a mental disorder which has a tendency to become chronic and badly disturbs normal functions of life if not diagnosed and treated in time (Beesdo-Baum, et al., 2012; Garcia-Lopez, Piqueras, Diaz-Castela, & Ingles, 2008). It is also among the most prevailing mental disorders and is described in Criterion A of DSM-V as “Marked fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which the individual is exposed to possible scrutiny by others. Examples include social interactions (e.g., having a conversation, meeting unfamiliar people), being observed (e.g., eating or drinking), and performing in front of others (e.g., giving a speech)” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A specific amount of anxiety is always anticipated socially and helps an individual managing future threats (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). But having social anxiety means that anxiety is too much for normal functioning during social situations and often interferes with

As far as alcohol being a “social lubricant” from my own experiences, it is just the opposite, the environments I have been to including parties, alcohol has caused violence and poor decision making. I have watched numerous fights and watched drunk drivers swerve on the road because they refused a sober driver, while trying alcohol myself, it never made me more “social”, the substance just made me sleepy and aided in my anxiety disorder making me more nervous than usual – it made me feel stupid due to the “zoned out” effect I received from the alcohol. I never liked the next morning either, the sickness, irritability, and headaches was not worth the costs, however, as of now, I find myself only drinking lightly once every 3-6 months and avoid

The Social anxiety Association classifies social anxiety as the fear of interacting with other and social situations. Social anxiety causes fear and anxiety in most if not all aspects of ones lives. Social anxiety is the fear of being negatively judge or evaluated by others. It is a chronic disease that it does not go away on its own, only direct cognitive-behavioral therapy can help people overcome their social anxiety. There are a few situations that can trigger social anxiety such as being introduced to

The alcoholic beverage has remained an established element to society’s social world and has grown into a way of living. As alcohol continues to flourish in its prevalence among citizens of the United States, so does the concept of alcohol addiction. A person becomes addicted to alcohol when they “drink excessively and develops a dependence that results in noticeable mental disturbance, or an interference with bodily and mental health, their interpersonal relations, and their smooth social and economic functioning” (Calahan, 1970, pp. 3). In 2009, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that about 52% of Americans used alcohol at least once within 30 days of their survey. As the percentage of Americans who consume alcohol

In the United States, 17.6 million people – about one in every 12 adults, abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent. (NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2012) The Mayo Clinic defines alcoholism as a chronic disease in which your body becomes dependent on alcohol (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010), and indicates that more than 100,000 Americans die annually from alcohol related causes (Johnson) . Aside from the physical problems that alcohol addiction can create, there are frequently emotional and social complications. Alcoholism is a disease that harms not only the alcoholic, but also the co-workers and family of the alcoholic.

Fear is a common emotion exhibited by people who stutter (PWS). The fear of negative evaluation is commonly displayed by PWS (Fjola, 1246); when this fear is significantly excessive, the PWS may meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of social anxiety (Brundage, Winters, & Beilby, p. 499). Social anxiety frequently causes PWS to isolate themselves from social interactions, and, when in situations, to utilize safety behaviors to prevent stuttering and reduce anxiety. Safety behaviors consequently maintain social anxiety in PWS rather than exacerbate the disorder (Lowe et al., 2017, pp. 1246-1247). More is known regarding the development of social anxiety is adults who stutter (AWS) than the information pertaining to children who stutter (CWS) and their fear of negative evaluation which results in social anxiety (Iverach, Menzies, O’Brian, Packman, & Onslow, 2011, p. 228). The difference in available information may be due to the thought that social anxiety is a short-term effect in CWS but a life-long effect in AWS (Iverach, Jones, McLellan, Lyneham, Menzies, Onslow, & Rapee, 2016, p. 15).