Stressed by the Election? Join the Club

With Election Day just two weeks from today, it’s important to step back and look at what the constant barrage of news and vicious political attacks streaming straight into our homes and onto our cellphones is doing to our health.

High blood pressure, a tightening of the chest, raging migraines, and a sick feeling in the gut are just a few of the physical symptoms a majority Americans are reporting.

Addiction specialists fear the contentious political season is driving people already at risk to drink and consume more pills.

“We’re seeing that it doesn’t matter whether you’re registered as a Democrat or Republican — U.S. adults say they are experiencing significant stress from the current election,” Lynn Bufka, Ph.D., the American Psychological Association’s associate executive director for practice research and policy, said recently in a statement.

Across party lines, registered Democrats (55 percent) and Republicans (59 percent) state the election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress.

All of this creates an even bigger concern for addiction specialists, who fear the contentious political season is driving addicts already at risk to drink and consume more pills.

“Stress is an important factor known to increase alcohol and drug relapse risk,” said Rob Cole, a licensed mental health counselor and the executive director at Arete Detox in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

“Though we haven’t seen ‘direct’ relapse related to election stress, addicts are highly sensitive to stress and healthy coping strategies are poor. Therefore, addiction may be fueled by many kinds of stress,” Cole told LifeZette.

Related: Save Your Sanity This Election Season

The better prepared recovering addicts become in terms of self-care — meaning physical, mental, and spiritual care, as well as accountable behaviors and a connection with a recovery community — the less likely they are to relapse.

[lz_bulleted_list title=”Limit Election Stress” source=”http://www.apa.org”]Cut back on media consumption|Read enough just to stay informed|Go for a walk|Spend time with family doing things you enjoy|Avoid getting into discussions you know will lead to conflict[/lz_bulleted_list]

“One of the most important things [addicts can do] to minimize stress about the election is practice the behaviors you have control over — exercise your empowering right to vote, research the candidate[s] so that you are better informed as to your best option, and continue to change the things you can in your own personal life to become a productive member of society,” said Cole.

That could be good advice for the masses — as election stress reportedly affects 52 percent of Americans overall. And the stress we feel is exacerbated by the arguments, stories, images, and video on social media that can heighten concern and frustration, particularly with thousands of comments that can range from factual to hostile or even inflammatory.

Adults who use social media are actually more likely than adults who do not to say the election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress (54 percent vs. 45 percent, respectively). That’s according to a study done by the American Psychological Association earlier this month.

Where addiction is concerned specifically, Cole said it’s critical for the next president to address the ongoing epidemic in our society — and around the world.

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“Funding for addiction research, passing legislation to increase addiction treatment options, and de-stigmatizing the disease of addiction are all important talking/action points. If this does not occur, we can expect an increasingly debilitated society and an ever-increasing death toll,” said Cole. “The current costs of addiction significantly outweigh any dollars that would be applied to prevention, education, and treatment of addiction.”