Published January 6, 2021 · Reviewed by Sergey Litvinov, MD · ~540 words

At Pines Recovery Life Detox in South Florida, we want patients in our substance use detox programs to understand the close relationship between depression, recovery, and mental health. When you feel positive and strong, you can resist cravings and stick to your plan for a drug-free life. However, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues can leave you feeling vulnerable and needing a fast fix. Therefore, you should make safeguarding your mental health a priority during recovery.

Mental health and recovery

Behind every bad feeling there is a cause. When you get angry, it is because someone or something hurt you. As we get older we learn to swallow that and push the bad feelings down, and it costs us. Anger turned inward has nowhere to go. Use your coping skills on the feeling while it is still in front of you.

Depression and anxiety work the same way, but quieter. They wear down your outlook, and your recovery runs on hope and stubbornness. Learn how to hold on to those.

How addiction factors in

When you are depressed, anxious or in a panic, you get desperate to feel like yourself again. That is when going back to drugs or alcohol starts to look like the fastest way to make it stop, without ever dealing with what is underneath. Build a list of people you can call before you need it.

At Pines Recovery Life, that starts with medical detox and, once the acute days are behind you, a plan for what comes next. The plan is built around what you are aiming at: steady connections, getting back to work, repairing the relationships that took the damage.

Medications in detox and recovery

Many people who develop a substance use disorder begin using drugs and alcohol as a way to self-medicate. It may begin with legal prescriptions for pain or depression and morph into an addiction to opiates or other drugs. Alternately, it can begin with gateway drugs and lead to addictions to more severe narcotics.

Some medications ease withdrawal symptoms during detox, and you may keep taking medication in the treatment that follows. They let you focus on getting your head and body back instead of on the pain of withdrawal.

If you have questions about medically assisted detox, ask during admissions. That is the time to get clear about what your stay at Pines Recovery Life will look like.

Alleviating depression and anxiety in recovery

A licensed therapist can help you understand what is actually driving your depression or anxiety. You can start that work during detox with our licensed therapist. It prepares you for the honesty and commitment the next stage of treatment asks of you.

When you look at treatment programs, check which ones offer dual diagnosis care. Those treat the mental health condition and the addiction at the same time.