Anger is a very common human emotion exhibited by everyone at some stage of their lives. Although people mostly think of anger as a negative emotion, there are times when it becomes necessary to show anger. For instance, when unduly aggressive people confront you, anger expresses your disgust for their unreasonable behaviour. Or, when you want your voice heard in situations where urgent action needs to be taken, it is your anger that gets you the attention that you deserve. However, sometimes, anger becomes a part of some people’s behaviour. Therefore, they are unable to control their anger and become enraged at minor issues. Consequently, their health deteriorates, and their personal and social life gets impacted in a bad way.

Signs You May Need Anger Management

There is a fine line between regular anger and anger problem. Especially for people who are not in close contact with the ‘always angry’ individuals, it is almost impossible to detect anger issues. Most of the time, anger issues are spotted by people in one’s family or friend circle. Some clear and present signs indicate the presence of anger issues. Have a look at some of these signs that may indicate you need anger management:

Feeling regretful after an angry exchange

If you often feel regretful after a verbal spat, you are most likely experiencing anger issues. Most people know themselves well enough to understand when they reacted injudiciously. After an exaggerated angry response, your regret indicates an anger problem. If you frequently feel regretful, it is a telltale sign that you need anger management.

Awkward physical response

People with anger issues do not behave normally during an anger episode. Besides raising their voice to an extreme level, they are likely to show their frustration and disdain for the whole situation by showing certain physical signs like pacing up and down, rubbing their head vigorously and talking sarcastically. Such awkward responses manifest themselves because the angry person tries to stop the exploding emotions from coming out. Frequent awkward physical responses are a visible sign of anger issues easily observed by people living alongside troubled individuals.

Tendency to cause self-harm

Have you ever seen a person banging their head against the fall in a fit of rage? It is a clear indicator that the person concerned needs anger management. As such behaviour can harm health and cause irrecoverable bodily harm, it is vital to seek anger management therapy ASAP.

Being angry after drinking alcohol or abusing substances

Sometimes, people become angry after gulping alcohol or using narcotics. They are generally sane and pleasant to talk to, but after they fill themselves with their poison of choice, they cannot control their bursting rage. When angry behaviour almost always coincides with episodes of intoxication or getting stoned, it clearly indicates anger issues.

Connection Between Addiction and Anger Management

People who are constantly angry are not in a good place mentally. Therefore, they are likely to try to treat themselves on their own. While some may start with healthy practices like deep breathing, exercising and meditation, others may fall into the trap of addiction.

It is easy for someone with anger issues to consume alcohol excessively to calm their senses. Similarly, some people may resort to illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin, marijuana and LSD. Initially, they might be able to experience the positive effects and feel like they are pulling away from their addiction, but eventually, they will start feeling hollow. The anger issues will be replaced by (possibly worse) addiction problems, which might be harder to escape. For some people, drinking alcohol or abusing drugs can exacerbate the existing anger issue.

In many scenarios, it has been found that people with anger issues and addiction problems start to experience mental health issues like anxiety disorder and depression. It is well-known that co-occurring disorders, such as depression combined with cocaine abuse, are far worse than any single issue as it is harder to treat. So, it is vital to eliminate the foundation of the problem, i.e., anger issue, before it turns into something more devastating.

Final Thoughts

Anger management and addiction problems are closely related, as failure to fix the former can result in the creation of the latter. When combined with mental health issues like anxiety disorder, an addiction problem can lead to a co-occurring disorder, which is harder to treat and can even cause death. Therefore, if you spot the signs of anger issues (as mentioned in the article), it is crucial to visit a rehabilitation centre for anger management in the UK at the earliest and find a solution to the problem.