Social Anxiety Disorder and Its Link to Addiction
How Is Social Anxiety Disorder Connected to Addiction?
What Social Anxiety Disorder Looks Like
Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is a form of anxiety disorder in which the anxiety is specifically triggered by social situations. People with social anxiety disorder often feel nervous, on edge, and afraid of being watched or judged by others, along with a strong fear of embarrassment.
Common triggering situations include talking to unfamiliar people, meeting strangers, speaking in public, or presenting in front of a class or at a meeting.
This fear or nervousness often produces physical symptoms — a racing heart, trembling hands, a shaky voice, and sweating. The fear tends to be far more intense than what most people experience, making it difficult for the person to face these situations at all.
For someone with social anxiety disorder, these symptoms occur every time they’re in an unfamiliar situation, a situation where they feel watched, or one where they have to do something in public. Beyond that, people with social anxiety disorder also feel nervous even in one-on-one conversations with people they don’t know well, often feeling uncomfortable and constantly worried that the other person will notice something awkward or embarrassing about them — a feeling they can’t shake. As a result, they tend to avoid these situations altogether, or endure significant distress when avoidance isn’t possible. Symptoms typically persist continuously for more than six months.
When Symptoms Warrant Professional Help
The key is looking at how much the fear interferes with work, daily life, or relationships. Ordinary nervousness from an unfamiliar situation usually fades with repeated exposure and practice — for example, giving a first presentation at a meeting might come with shaky hands and a trembling voice, but with repeated practice, that fear typically goes away.
But with social anxiety disorder, the fear persists every time — in unfamiliar situations, situations where the person feels watched, situations requiring public action, or conversations with unfamiliar people, even one-on-one. The person feels persistently uncomfortable and worried that the other person notices something awkward or embarrassing about them, and this feeling doesn’t fade with time. They tend to avoid these situations, or if avoidance isn’t possible, experience intense anxiety that undermines their performance at work, school, or another part of life. Symptoms typically continue for more than six months.
What Causes Social Anxiety Disorder
People with social anxiety disorder often have a history of an embarrassing experience that left a lasting emotional imprint, most commonly occurring during adolescence — a stage when people begin to place great importance on how others see them and start seeking social acceptance, such as during the middle and high school years. It’s less common for the disorder to first appear in adulthood, and while it can occur in childhood, it’s far less common than in adolescence. Example triggering events include being laughed at, teased, or bullied by classmates after speaking in front of the class, or being harshly criticized by a parent in front of others.
How Social Anxiety Disorder Connects to Addiction
Social anxiety disorder can contribute to substance dependence, especially with central nervous system depressants such as alcohol or certain sedative medications, or opioids such as heroin. When someone with social anxiety disorder uses these substances, the depressant effect reduces their fear and anxiety — but with continued use, dependence on the substance develops. This pattern of using a substance to relieve one’s own anxiety is known as self-medication — essentially using drugs or alcohol to treat oneself. But self-medication is the wrong solution to the problem, because once the person stops using the substance, their social anxiety and general anxiety often become even more intense than before — and beyond that, it leads to the added burden of substance dependence on top of the original condition.
If you or someone you know shows signs of social anxiety disorder, or has social anxiety disorder along with a resulting problem with alcohol or drugs, you should consult a psychiatrist for addiction treatment and appropriate medication to avoid developing dependence, along with proper behavioral therapy — so your work performance and daily life are no longer limited by social anxiety disorder.
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