What is stress? Stress is a physical response to a situation. When we perceive something as threatening our body goes into fight or flight mode. This causes our body to release hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol to prepare the body for action. The release of these chemicals causes different sensations in the body such as faster breathing, heart-pounding, and increased energy. This is all to prepare the body to act. If we are constantly in this stressed state problems can develop and the challenge is when our body goes into a stressed state for every event.   How can you be affected? When coping with a family members alcohol or drug use we can often be in a heightened stressed state. This can be damaging to our health and relationships as we are constantly living on the edge, waiting for the next crisis. This can result in [...]