Being in debt can be very stressful. Always having to worry about how we are going to pay the bills is not pleasant. The reason we are in debt (such as unemployment or too much use of credit cards, for example) is not so much the issue.
The issue, the problem, is the debt itself. The stress that comes when we realize what we owe and that we are unable or will have great difficulty paying it. This stress can frequently lead to substance use or abuse. This may be an unconscious attempt to forget about the problem. But the problem still exists when we “come down” from the high.
An attempt to escape is not the solution. It is necessary to deal with the problem, the debt, however unpleasant that may be. Unless and until we are willing to deal with the problems in our lives (debt or other) the stress remains, and the likelihood that we will use addiction, act in an addictive manner, increases.