Drug rehab is often a challenging situation that may place you in a tough place. As a result, you may experience extreme anxiety or even a panic attack during your stay. Thankfully, Memphis Recovery Centers professionals can help you learn how to prevent a panic attack. You can use these techniques while you’re in addiction rehab or after you are out. The first step is to fully understand why your panic attacks occur and how they may be related to addiction recovery.
What Causes Panic Attacks?
Panic attacks are often caused by what is known as a panic disorder. This problem occurs when a person’s brain does not manage anxiety or stress properly. For example, very small environmental factors may cause excess fear that may trigger panic. These attacks can cause a person to alienate themselves from others, experience heart palpitations, or even hallucinate.
Others will experience sweating, chills, breathing problems, intense nausea, physical pain, a sense of doom, impending fear, and much more. These symptoms can be very emotional and may cause a person to turn to drugs or other substances to create a false sense of stability. Unfortunately, a panic disorder may follow a person into drug rehab and make their recovery that much harder to manage.
Why Do Panic Attacks Occur During Rehab?
Drug and alcohol rehab may trigger panic attacks for many reasons, including:
- Sudden removal from a safe environment
- Abrupt loss of drugs as a coping mechanism
- Immersion in a new environment
- Fear of what others may say about you
All of these reactions are common for those going to drug rehab. But they shouldn’t be something that takes over your recovery. Thankfully, you can master how to prevent a panic attack to achieve your sobriety goals.
How to Prevent a Panic Attack
When a panic attack strikes, you’re going to deal with the tough emotional aftermath. Thankfully, panic is temporary and can be managed by taking a few preventative steps. These methods may vary depending on a person and what works for them. Some may find that deep-breathing exercises are celebrated for how well they manage panic, while others need more focused methods. Whatever the case, these techniques include:
- Taking anxiety medication – If you have a prescription, take these to manage excessive stress
- Using breathing techniques – Many people calm their anxiety by using deep-breathing exercises
- Talking to others right away – Reach out to others in your rehab facility for help
- Staying mindful in the moment – Mindfulness techniques can help you stay stable
- Adjusting your behaviors – Use CBT or DBT methods to remain focused and anxiety-free
If you want to know how to prevent a panic attack, the best advice that you can get is to know your triggers. Everybody has something likely to cause a panic attack. Whether it’s a particular person or a specific situation, these triggers can be very hard to overcome without focus.
Thankfully, Memphis Recovery Centers’ substance abuse programs can help you identify these triggers. In many ways, these triggers may be the same as those that cause your drug abuse. Knowing what makes you more likely to abuse drugs should make it easier for you to walk away from abuse and panic attacks for good.
Recovery Options at Memphis Recovery Centers
If you need help learning how to prevent a panic attack, please contact Memphis Recovery Centers. Our professionals are skilled in managing these problems. We can also sort through how panic attacks and drug addiction are linked. Therapy options include:
- Family care
- Inpatient drug rehab
- Outpatient visits
- Music and art therapy
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Trauma care
So please call 866.304.8254 to learn more about how we can help. And verify your insurance to make sure you have the right payment options.