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What Is Trauma?<\/h1>\n
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The American Psychological Association (APA) describes trauma as an emotional response to an awful event, such as rape, accident, or natural disaster<\/a>. Any time an individual fears for their safety, they experience a form of trauma. It can be anything that puts a person\u2019s emotional or physical well-being at harm.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s trauma from emotional neglect or domestic abuse, it can take a severe toll on victims. The fact that it affects people differently only adds to the complexity of trauma. Since it plays out differently, its effects also vary from person to person.<\/p>\n The stress from a traumatic event triggers the release of hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which handle your body\u2019s fight-or-flight response.<\/p>\n In a crisis, these chemicals can be helpful to you. However, in higher concentrations, they can have adverse effects on your body. They prevent your body from understanding the difference between a real emergency or crisis that demands a fight-or-flight response and your remembrance of a traumatic event.<\/p>\n At times, people who experience trauma find themselves in a vicious loop that they can\u2019t seem to break free from. It causes them to develop a severe mental health disorder known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.<\/p>\n This condition is commonly found in war veterans and people who experience childhood trauma. It often leads such individuals to turn to alcohol, drugs, or self-medication to mask their feelings or take the edge off, which establishes the connection between trauma and addiction as it can lead them down the path of a lifelong struggle with addiction due to their unresolved trauma.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Common immediate signs of traumatic events include shock, anger, and denial. However, long-term reactions can include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Trauma is so much more than a negative experience. It\u2019s an event or series of events that have a lasting effect on your emotional, mental, physical, and social well-being. There can be numerous types of trauma that can cause high levels of stress in your body.<\/p>\n Here are a few common types:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The connection between trauma and addiction is complex and different for every victim. Many individuals who have suffered from a traumatic experience turn to substance abuse and alcoholism as a coping mechanism<\/a>. There are many substances that can make a user feel different sensations, such as a mind-numbing calmness or an inexplicable high that makes you feel empowered. These are sensations that a victim of psychological trauma can actively seek to drown out the noise or flashbacks of their experience.<\/p>\n A person who has suffered from a traumatic experience might start relying on benzodiazepines to feel relief from chronic anxiety. They can also turn to stimulants to get a kick of energy. Drugs can also make a person dealing with trauma feel like they can achieve their dreams, which they don\u2019t feel confident enough to achieve without the drugs. People might also develop an addiction to opioids to experience the euphoria associated with them.<\/p>\n All victims of trauma have individual needs that they might seek to fulfill by using drugs, opioids, and alcohol. However, these needs can also push them toward addiction as they start believing that without drugs or alcohol, they will not be able to become who they want to be or fulfill their dreams. These individuals can develop a harmful reliance on substances<\/a>, which can result in addiction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Even though drug addiction and psychological trauma are afflictions that anyone can face, regardless of their age, gender, class, religion, or any outside factors, the intensity of the trauma and addiction can vary from person to person. For instance, an individual might suffer from trauma more intensely if they have significantly low levels of cortisol or other abnormalities in the HPA axis, such as:<\/p>\n These people might also suffer greatly if they have brain abnormalities in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, or amygdala.<\/p>\n Moreover, an individual is more susceptible to drug addiction if they have a family history of substance abuse as addiction can be hereditary. Similarly, if you have friends who are addicted to drugs, you might succumb to peer pressure and start using<\/a> drugs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The human brain has incredible plasticity, i.e., it can respond and adapt to anything that life throws your way. This ability allows you to learn new skills and create memories as you move through the world. Everything you experience and do, be it good or bad, causes your neurons to change, grow, and even break, depending on the adjustments that your brain has to make to keep you functioning. This skill also enables trauma patients to relearn skills, such as speaking or walking.<\/p>\n But what does it have to do with childhood trauma and addiction? How does trauma cause addiction? Your brain\u2019s plasticity is the reason why the things you experience in your childhood follow you into your adulthood. Your childhood experiences essentially shape your thoughts, behaviors, and reactions to situations and people.<\/p>\n The connection between childhood trauma and drug abuse becomes evident in people who had to grow up with alcoholic, absentee parents. It\u2019s because individuals who suffer from addiction and childhood trauma might have modeled their harmful behavior, such as self-dedication or substance abuse, on the behaviors they observed in their loved ones while growing up. Their excessive use of drugs and alcohol in their adulthood can easily lead to addiction.<\/p>\n Other forms of childhood trauma, such as abuse, witnessing a tragic event, or witnessing domestic abuse, can also contribute to the development of trauma-related addiction and depression. A study revealed that people who have experienced five or more adverse childhood experiences are seven to ten times more likely to become substance abusers<\/a>. This same study revealed that individuals with three or more traumatic childhood experiences have higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse, along with depression and heart disease.<\/p>\n Another study found that among adolescents (aged 15 to 19) being treated for a substance abuse disorder, 45.3% of females and 24.3% of males had a lifetime history of PTSD<\/a>, which is five times higher than a community sample of adolescents. Research also highlights that about 60% of young people with PTSD go on to develop a substance abuse problem.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you have PTSD along with an addiction to alcohol or drugs, it\u2019s known as a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis. According to APA, PTSD affects around 3.5 percent of U.S. adults annually, and about 1 in 11 individuals will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime<\/a>. Even though it\u2019s often associated with war veterans, PTSD isn\u2019t just limited to people with a history of military service. People who have experienced a natural disaster, car accident, sexual assault, or terrorist attack can also have PTSD.<\/p>\n Here are some common, recurring symptoms of PTSD:<\/p>\n These symptoms can be extremely distressing and overwhelming. In an attempt to escape the symptoms of PTD, people often turn to drugs or alcohol. However, with the use of alcohol or drugs, the symptoms only worsen. For instance, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, which will worsen your anxiety and depression while interfering with your regular sleep pattern.<\/p>\n Moreover, endorphin withdrawal plays a key role in explaining the connection between trauma and addiction and the use of alcohol or drugs to control PTSD. When a person experiences a traumatic event, their brain produces endorphins that alleviate pain and create a sense of well-being to cope with the stress. When the event passes, your body experiences an endorphin withdrawal, which is somewhat similar to the symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol and drugs.<\/p>\nImmediate and Long-Term Signs of Trauma<\/h2>\n
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Types of Trauma<\/h2>\n
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The Connection between Trauma and Addiction<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nPsychological Trauma and Drug Addiction<\/h2>\n
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Childhood Trauma and Addiction<\/h2>\n
PTSD And Addiction<\/h2>\n
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