Stress After the Flood: Heavier Drinking, More Drug Use, and Warning Signs Families Shouldn't Ignore
The period after floodwaters recede is often when built-up stress starts to show -- from cleaning up the house, financial damage, and the losses just suffered. Some people turn to alcohol or drugs to sleep or just to get through each day. Research suggests that mental health problems arising from disaster-related trauma and loss may increase the risk of substance misuse. This article summarizes the warning signs families should watch for, and ways to help that don't make things worse.
Why the Period After the Flood Is Risky
During a flood, most people are in survival mode. Afterwards, exhaustion, the damage in front of them, and worries about money and the future gradually pile up. Thailand's Department of Mental Health advises watching for signs of stress in the body, such as loss of appetite and insomnia; in emotions and behavior, such as irritability and withdrawal; and in thinking, such as thoughts of self-harm.
A literature review on substance use and disasters found that increased drinking and substance use problems after disasters are linked to having experienced traumatic events before and to prior drinking. Family members with a history therefore deserve extra attention during this time.
Drinking to Sleep or Using to Cope Isn't the Answer
Using alcohol or drugs to manage stress may seem to help in the short term, but it usually makes sleep, mood, and family relationships worse in the long run, and can turn into a dependence that becomes harder and harder to break.
Instead, the Department of Mental Health recommends breathing exercises to relieve stress, getting 7-8 hours of sleep, talking with someone you trust, exercising, helping others, and tackling problems one at a time rather than trying to handle everything at once.
Warning Signs Families Should Watch For
Starting to drink earlier in the day or drinking more than before the flood, drinking or using drugs to sleep, hiding their drinking, missing work or disappearing from the clean-up, being unusually irritable or quick to anger, and money problems that can't be explained.
For someone who has quit drugs before, additional signs include talking about old friends or places where they used to use, downplaying how serious past use was, or saying "just once won't hurt" -- signs of the mental stage that comes before relapse.
How to Talk Without It Turning Into a Fight
Choose a moment when they aren't drunk or under the influence. Speak from your own feelings -- for example, "I've seen you not sleeping for several nights, and I'm worried" -- rather than accusing or blaming, and acknowledge that everyone at home is exhausted.
Suggest ways to unwind together that don't involve substances, such as resting together, going for a walk, or sharing out the clean-up so it isn't too heavy for anyone, and praise them when they choose healthy ways of coping.
Look After Your Own Wellbeing and Your Family's
People caring for others often forget to care for themselves. Family members should take turns resting, have someone they trust to talk to, and use the mental health hotline 1323, which offers free counseling 24 hours a day.
The Department of Mental Health advises seeing a doctor promptly if stress or distress continues for more than two weeks, or if there are thoughts of self-harm.
When to Seek Professional Help
If they try to cut down or stop but can't, have withdrawal symptoms when not drinking or using, if there is violence at home, or if drinking and drug use clearly start affecting work, money, and relationships, it's time to consult a specialist rather than waiting for things to get worse.
Petch Nava is a legally registered private drug treatment facility. Families can call us for advice even if their loved one isn't ready to come in themselves, and all information is kept confidential. You can also call the drug treatment hotline 1165 at any time, 24 hours a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can drinking help relieve stress after a flood?+
It may feel relaxing in the short term, but it usually makes sleep and mood worse in the long run and risks turning into dependence, especially for people with a history of heavy drinking or substance use. Safer options are rest, talking things through, and calling the 1323 mental health hotline.
Someone at home quit drugs recently and then the flood hit. What should we do?+
Help keep routines consistent, stay close, and watch for warning signs such as isolating, insomnia, or talking about old friends, and contact their treatment team for advice. Having someone supporting them during this period greatly reduces the risk.
What should we do if someone at home talks about harming themselves?+
Treat it as urgent. Stay with them, don't leave them alone, and call for help immediately on the 1323 mental health hotline, or 1669 if there is immediate danger.
Worried about someone at home drinking or using more since the flood? Get a free, confidential consultation and assessment with our experts.
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