Encino · San Fernando Valley · Los Angeles
Co-occurring anxiety is an anxiety disorder that runs alongside a substance use disorder, where each condition keeps the other going. New Spirit Recovery treats anxiety as part of dual-diagnosis addiction care in Los Angeles. We admit adults whose anxiety accompanies a substance use disorder.
New Spirit Recovery helped me when I was detoxing hard for about a week. The staff were kind to me the whole time. When I thought about leaving early, they helped me slow down and choose recovery instead. By discharge I was grateful I stayed, and Iâm doing better now.
New Spirit Recovery has changed my whole life. They gave me a second chance to rewire my life and live a new one. The staff is caring and genuine, and the director and operations director guided me through the program. They set me up for success and I canât thank them enough for saving my life.
New Spirit Recovery was beneficial to my recovery. Here I learned tools to help me manage my emotions safely, journaling and breathing have been amazing tools I picked up while here. All the staff were incredible and patient. I am grateful to have come here and actually use the tools suggested.
This program teaches you how to set realistic goals and become a better version of yourself, with all the tools to start building a new foundation. The therapist and case manager give each client an individualized, tailor-made treatment plan. Serene surroundings, a private chef, daily groups, and weekend outings.
The staff is amazing. I was completely unable to detox on my own and find the right path. The food and facilities were amazing, and I found my way again. My mom and I go to church together again now. Thank you all so much.
CA DHCS licensed treatment · most admissions within 24–48 hours
Not sure where you stand?
Signs of co-occurring anxiety and addiction include drinking or using to quiet worry, needing a substance before social or work situations, anxiety that returns sharper once it wears off, and avoiding places where you cannot use. Sleep and concentration erode alongside it. Our dual diagnosis program treats the anxiety disorder and the substance use together.
Anxiety and substance use are difficult to separate because withdrawal produces anxiety of its own. Alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids all rebound into heightened anxiety as they clear, and stimulants generate it directly. The result feels like proof that the anxiety is worsening, when part of it is the substance leaving.
This self-check mirrors what our clinicians ask at intake: whether substances are being used to manage anxiety, whether the anxiety returns stronger afterward, and whether the pattern has started to narrow your life. Answer the six questions, then talk the result through with our team.
This 6-question self-check is a private screening tool, not a diagnosis. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is saved or sent. A clinician confirms what it means. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
Ten minutes, a few questions, and a real answer about your coverage. Someone picks up at any hour, including this one. You do not need a diagnosis before you call.
How the loop closes
Anxiety turns into substance dependence through a loop of relief and rebound. A substance quiets the anxiety within minutes, the nervous system adapts to being quieted, and anxiety returns above where it started. Using again becomes the fastest way to feel normal, and the original anxiety disorder is never treated.
Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder often appear before any substance problem, though the relationship runs in both directions and varies from person to person. The symptoms are physical as much as mental: a racing heart, a tight chest, broken sleep, a mind that will not settle. Most people look for something that works quickly, and find it.
Alcohol reduces anxiety within minutes, which is precisely the problem. So do benzodiazepines, prescribed for exactly this reason, and cannabis. The relief is genuine and it is fast, so the brain marks it as the solution. Our benzodiazepine addiction page covers the prescribed route in detail.
The nervous system adapts to being chemically calmed by becoming more excitable on its own. As the substance clears, anxiety returns above baseline. Mornings get worse, sleep fragments, and panic can appear in someone who never had it. The substance is now generating the symptom it was taken to relieve.
At this point stopping produces withdrawal anxiety on top of the untreated disorder, and that combination sends most people back within days. Breaking it requires treating both at once: medical support for withdrawal, and real treatment for the anxiety disorder underneath. Neither works alone.
Withdrawal from alcohol and benzodiazepines can be medically dangerous, so do not stop either on your own. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, any time. Support is available in Spanish and via ASL. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Why people choose this one
Prescribing for anxiety in someone with a substance use disorder is a different calculation. Our medical director and nurse practitioner review every medication alongside the substance history, and favour options without dependence potential.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy are delivered daily here, not offered as a referral. Evidence-based therapy targets the anxiety directly, so sobriety is not the only thing holding the improvement in place.
Jobs, custody hearings, probation officers, FMLA paperwork, a flight from another state. We handle that coordination as part of treatment, because for an anxious person the unresolved logistics are often the loudest thing in the room.
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The path through
Co-occurring anxiety and addiction are treated with integrated dual-diagnosis care: medically supervised withdrawal where it is needed, then cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy, with medication management that accounts for dependence risk. Somatic work and meditation programming address the physical side of anxiety.
| Level of care | Medical oversight | Typical length | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical DetoxStart here | 24-hour nursing, physician oversight | 7–10 days, extending to 21 where medically necessary | Withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines needs medical management |
| Residential Treatment | On-site clinical staff, physician oversight | Often part of a ~35-day course | Medically stable, with the anxiety disorder treated alongside the use |
| Step-down (PHP / IOP / OP) | Scheduled clinical contact | Varies by plan | Returning to daily life while anxiety treatment continues |
We deliver medical detox and residential treatment at our own facilities. Step-down care is arranged through a vetted network we coordinate on your behalf. As a residential rehabilitation center in Los Angeles, we keep the same clinical team with you from intake through discharge planning, so the story only gets told once.
Small enough to know your name
Co-Founder
Author and recovery specialist. Created the Rewired curriculum, ten modules that run here and nowhere else.
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Clinical Director
Licensed since 2018, dual mental-health and substance-use background. Oversees clinical programming across all properties. Twenty-four years in recovery himself.
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Director of Nursing
A Licensed Vocational Nurse since 2020 with extensive behavioral health and substance use experience across detox and residential settings
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Clinical Psychologist
Clinical supervisor and a professor at California Lutheran University. Works across sites on crisis management and treatment planning.
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Program Director
Directs day-to-day operations and client care. Seven-plus years in the industry, five in management.
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Operations Director
Handles the logistics that make admission possible, including travel and transport from LAX or Burbank.
Read full bioThe question everyone asks first
What you pay depends on your plan: your benefits, deductible, copay, and coinsurance. Most PPO plans cover dual-diagnosis treatment for an anxiety disorder and a substance use disorder when it is medically necessary. Anyone quoting a price before reading your policy is guessing.
Coverage varies more than people expect, and is routinely better than assumed. We check your benefits for free and tell you exactly what we find, whether or not you come here.
We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare. Cash pay is available; ask an admissions counselor what that looks like.
Veterans: we hold a VACCN/TriWest contract. Mention it when you call. Verify insurance.
Real people, real recovery stories
Reviews published by clients and families on Google, where our average is 4.8 out of 5.
These are unpaid reviews posted publicly on Google by individual clients and families. They describe those people’s own experiences, which vary; they are not a promise of any particular outcome, and no one was compensated for them.
Looking for anxiety rehab near you?
Our anxiety and addiction treatment program runs from Encino, with additional residences in Tarzana and Northridge. We admit from across the Valley, greater Los Angeles, and nationwide.
Common questions
There is no single best medication for anxiety. A prescriber selects based on your history, and when a substance use disorder is present that assessment weighs dependence risk heavily, favoring options without addiction potential. Our medical director reviews every decision alongside therapy.
Worrying is not an addiction. Addiction means compulsive use of a substance or behavior despite harm, with tolerance and withdrawal. Persistent worry is a core feature of generalized anxiety disorder, a treatable condition that often occurs alongside a substance use disorder.
Alcohol is the most common, because it reduces anxiety within minutes. Benzodiazepines prescribed for anxiety carry real dependence risk. Cannabis is frequently used for the same purpose and can increase anxiety over time. Each gives short relief followed by a sharper return.
Yes. Stimulants generate anxiety directly, and withdrawal from alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids produces anxiety that can exceed the original level. Substance-induced anxiety disorder is a separate DSM-5-TR diagnosis, distinguished by whether symptoms persist once abstinence is established.
DSM-5-TR anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobia, and agoraphobia. New Spirit Recovery treats these when they occur alongside a substance use disorder, as dual-diagnosis care rather than standalone psychiatric treatment.
Most major PPO plans cover dual-diagnosis treatment for an anxiety disorder and a substance use disorder when it is medically necessary. Cost depends on your benefits, deductible, and coinsurance. We verify your coverage free. We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare.
