Stressful Experiences Affect Likelihood of Remission of Drug Dependence, Continued Drug Use, and Relapse

Researchers at the University of Michigan’s Centre for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health have been exploring the link between drug dependence, ongoing drug use, relapse and exposure to stress or experience of stressful events.

The paper, Stressful Events and Other Predictors of Remission from Drug Dependence in the United States: Longitudinal Results from a National Survey, was published in 2015 and funded by the National Institute of Health. The research was recently highlighted by NIDA. 

Surveying 921 people who had, in the last year, met the criteria for a diagnosis of drug dependence, the team examined drug history and stressful life events. The team found that of those who had individuals who had experienced stressful events such as serious illness or death among one’s family members or friends or financial crises were more likely to have used drugs within that last year. 

The study also revealed a correlation between the number of stressful life events reported and the severity of drug use. While the link remains to be viewed as complex and the team points out that drug use itself can lead to stressful life events unfolding and the causal nature of this relationship which should be further unpicked.

The indicated correlation between stress and drug use will, however, be useful evidence for those planning recovery programmes. The research team suggests that relapse prevention interventions could include steps to address resilience, stress exposure and reactivity. They have also called for further studies in this area which could look at the long term impact with this study being limited to follow up data reaching three years. Longitudinal studies could also be aided with the use of new and emerging technology such as smartphone apps and wearable sensors. 

The study was published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment and can be found online here.