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Updated November 21, 2022
“Trauma,” as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is “an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.”
Two people may experience and be impacted by the same traumatic event in different ways. This can be evident in their behaviors and the mental health symptoms that trigger these behaviors in the aftermath of the event. In the sections that follow, we’ll explore the relationship between trauma and substance addiction and how trauma can be at the root of addiction.
Is There a Link Between Trauma and Addiction?
There is a distinctive connection between trauma and addiction. A multitude of scientific evidence denotes the links between trauma and substance abuse disorders. Children and teens who experience or witness traumatic events are at increased risk for abusing drugs and alcohol. Traumatic experiences such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse leave children vulnerable to developing both substance use disorders and mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Reports suggest that about two-thirds of people who suffer from substance use disorders have experienced past trauma. These experiences can cause unresolved stress that can become a powerful trigger for the individual to use drugs and alcohol. It’s not uncommon for individuals to “self medicate” painful emotions that are rooted in their past traumatic experiences.
Addicts and Abuse: How Trauma Drives Addiction
The numbers don’t lie. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has found that trauma and alcohol and drug addiction are all but inseparable in their “Making the Connection: Trauma and Substance Abuse” white paper. Someone who has a history of childhood trauma is five times more likely to develop alcoholism and almost 50 percent more likely to develop a drug addiction, for example.
The same white paper stated that 76 percent of teenagers who are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction developed their chemical dependency and addiction after they experienced some kind of traumatic event. Many people who experience trauma end up developing a mental health disorder. Often they develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but they may also end up developing any number of other co-occurring disorders.
Is Trauma Always the Root Cause of Addiction?
No. Trauma is not always the root cause but it is frequently the main contributing factor for most people with a drug or alcohol addiction. There are other factors to consider. For example, growing up with a parent who abused drugs or alcohol can heighten someone’s risk for developing a substance abuse problem. Growing up and seeing a parent, for example, cope with their job stress or relationship stress by drinking or using drugs may “teach” an impressionable child that using substances is a coping strategy. Of course, it’s among the most unhealthy coping strategies, but it can be a contributing factor in the development of addiction.
Why Does Addiction Feel Like It Medicates Trauma?
There’s no denying that drugs and alcohol offer temporary relief from traumatic emotions and stress. The escape that these substances provide is real. Unfortunately, escaping with these addictive substances only worsens the problem, creating more stress. Drug and alcohol addiction will also cause mental and physical health to deteriorate, which makes the term “medicate” an ironic one. The relief these substances provide is short-lived and, in actuality, is only a mask for the unpleasantness that stems from past trauma. With therapy, clients can develop healthy ways to contend with their traumatic past, working through negative emotions and learning effective ways to manage their overwhelming stress.
How Do Drugs Make Trauma (Including PTSD) Worse?
Someone who’s suffering from mental health symptoms associated with past trauma can make their situation much worse by using illicit drugs or abusing prescription drugs. Again, drugs mask the problem and its symptoms for a very short while. That short-term relief comes with an incredibly high price tag that sometimes involves overdose and death as well as legal problems, financial problems, and an increased risk for developing further mental health problems, and physical health problems.
Turning to drugs and alcohol to quell a mental health condition is like pouring gasoline on a fire. It is precisely the last thing a person should do to get better. They will not get better. They will get worse. Instead of just one serious condition to deal with (their mental health condition), they’ll have a second as well— a substance use disorder.
Dual Diagnosis
“Dual diagnosis” is a term that’s often used to describe when a substance use disorder co-occurs with PTSD or another mental health disorder. Dual diagnoses are relatively common in this country. In 2018, SAMHSA found that 9.2 million Americans were living with a dual diagnosis.
For those affected, integrated treatment that addresses the roots and symptoms of both conditions at the same time is critical to healing and recovery.
Importance of Seeking Help That Addresses Both Trauma and Addiction
As many as a third of people who have a drug or alcohol addiction also have a dual diagnosis, and as many as two-thirds of people with substance use disorders have experienced past trauma. Trauma is a major trigger for drug and alcohol abuse and, as such, must be managed successfully in order to manage the addiction. Treatment that provides trauma-informed therapy offers clients the support they need to manage the distress caused by past trauma. When they can cope with trauma in healthier ways, they will find it less difficult to maintain their addiction recovery process.
