Trauma and Addiction: What You Need to Know
Trauma has many adverse effects and symptoms. Some can occur right away. Others take years to expose themselves. In many cases, you may not realize the struggles you’re going through are the effects of trauma, whether from childhood or more recently.
One of those struggles is addiction.
Substance abuse, alcohol, and drug addiction are serious problems in our country. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become even greater issues. While there are many underlying causes and possible reasons for people to become addicted, trauma often gets overlooked.
Unfortunately, it’s more common than you might think.
There’s a strong link between trauma and addiction that everyone should know about. When you realize how the two are connected, you might be able to get to the bottom of your addiction for the first time. Not only that, but once you know what could be causing it, you can start to get the help you deserve.
So, what do you need to know about the connection between trauma and addiction?
Understanding Trauma
One of the biggest reasons why people don’t make the connection between addiction and trauma is that they don’t fully understand what trauma is. There are some obvious situations, of course. Violence, natural disasters, and child abuse are all forms of trauma that are easy to recognize. Other forms include:
Bullying
Car accident
Problems at home
Chronic pain
Verbal abuse
If you struggle with any kind of behavioral condition or mental health conditions like depression or anxiety, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced some kind of trauma in your life.
It’s also important to understand that traumatic experiences affect everyone differently. Some are more severe than others. That’s why some people turn to different forms of “treatment” – including drugs and alcohol.
What’s the Connection?
When people don’t understand the effects of trauma, they often look for ways to cope with feelings they can’t grasp. You might be anxious or fearful or have flashbacks of things you’ve been through. That’s why it’s common for people who struggle with PTSD to turn to drugs or alcohol.
The relief from substance abuse can help to numb that fear and pain, at least for a while. Unfortunately, the better you start to feel after using, the more likely you’ll keep using and become more dependent.
That’s where something like substance abuse can become a full-fledged addiction. If you find yourself feeling like you need a drink or your drug of choice just to get through the day, you’re dealing with an addiction.
Addiction can impact every part of your life. Your relationships could shatter. You might lose your job or put yourself in a dangerous financial situation. Plus, most drug addictions are harmful to your physical health, as well as your mental wellbeing.
Trying to cope with trauma by temporarily numbing the pain doesn’t work. Temporary fixes might feel good for a moment, but they aren’t getting to the root of the problem.
Treating Addiction to Treat Trauma
If you’ve developed an addiction to drugs or alcohol, getting that under control first should be your top priority. Self-medicating isn’t real treatment. To help you kick your addiction, you might need to see a specialist or addiction therapist.
From there, you can talk to a therapist about the possible underlying cause(s) of your addiction. When you realize those causes, you can start to work through them rather than avoiding them. Reliving a traumatic event isn’t easy. But, the longer you push it down or numb it with something else, the worse it will become.
If you have any additional questions about trauma and addiction, or you’d like to make an appointment, feel free to contact me. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to live with the effects of trauma forever.
Click here for more information on Trauma Therapy.