Trauma forces a person to be victimized by the experience that caused them the trauma over and over again. This can happen in many ways including flashbacks, nightmares, or a perpetual reliving of the incident. In many cases, trauma leads people to substance abuse in a futile attempt to drown out these negative memories.
They want to forget about the traumatic experience in any way possible and bury the feelings that come with it. This, in turn, frequently leads to the development of a substance use disorder. Trauma can be caused by many life-changing experiences, such as:
While many experience some form of trauma at some point in life, most people will not develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result. PTSD is a mental health condition that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event.
The signs of PTSD vary from person to person, and not everyone experiences all of the possible symptoms. PTSD is usually diagnosed if the person experiences symptoms for about a month continuously. Many people might not experience any symptoms right away. In fact, in many cases, symptoms might only start to occur months after their traumatic experience. Common symptoms of PTSD include:
This is characterized by trying to avoid situations or people that trigger memories or emotions related to the traumatic experience. It might also be followed by a certain level of emotional numbness, too. The belief is that if the person just avoids certain situations, it won’t remind them of the traumatic experience.
The patient involuntarily experiences the event in many ways, like flashbacks and/or nightmares. Consequently, this makes them feel as though they are experiencing the trauma over and over again.
A patient may constantly feel on edge, jittery, and be on the lookout for potential danger. This is also frequently accompanied by irritability, anger, and difficulty sleeping and concentrating.
Patients struggling with PTSD are often plagued by negative feelings about themselves and the world around them. This can manifest itself as guilt, shame, a lack of interest in things previously enjoyed, distrust, or inability to feel happiness.
Whether it is due to trauma or the symptoms mentioned, people might display changes in behavior. This can be anything from extreme anxiety or depression to actual changes in sleeping or eating habits. Paranoid behavior is also very common, as the person might become hypervigilant.
In some extreme cases, victims might become violent. This can be viewed as a self-defense mechanism by the victim. They might also start putting themselves in risky situations, with little regard for their well-being. Those who have had a traumatic experience that resulted in some sort of violence at the time might be more prone to violence after the fact.
When people experience this type of trauma, they will naturally have feelings of sadness and perhaps endure difficulties in school, work, and relationships. If these symptoms persist for longer than a few months, the individual may have PTSD.
Any person can develop PTSD, and it’s important to note that it’s not a sign of weakness. Factors such as age, gender, and previous exposure to traumatic experiences may make an individual more likely to develop PTSD.
PTSD is a mental disorder. Like many other mental health disorders, it can lead to an increase in the chances of a substance abuse disorder developing. Unfortunately, some people who suffer from PTSD and are addicts are only diagnosed with PTSD after starting addiction treatment.
About 60% of people struggling with addiction are also diagnosed with a mental disorder. When it comes to PTSD, about 75% of people who faced violent or abusive trauma report struggling with addiction.
The reason for that is because many people partake in substance abuse as a way to self-medicate. Mental disorders, like PTSD, alters brain functions such as the release of neurotransmitters like endorphins, which improves the mood. For many, drugs and alcohol might feel like the only way to make up for this, and for a while, it might actually work, at least on the surface.
The problem is that not only is this unhealthy, but with time it will require more and more “doses”. The brain becomes used to the substance and eventually becomes dependent on it to even function properly. That is when consumption evolves to addiction.
Having mental and substance abuse disorders is a condition called dual-diagnosis. Two co-occurring disorders feed off of each other, no matter which one was triggered first.
Many people take medication for the disorders and might engage in occasional drinking.
It is important to understand that this is different from addiction. People can take prescription medication for disorders safely, while substance abuse is the actual problem. Though it differs from everyone, the main signs of addiction are:
Traumatic experiences can influence people in various ways. Patients struggling with PTSD are often plagued by negative feelings about themselves and the world around them. This can manifest itself as guilt, shame, a lack of interest in things previously enjoyed, distrust, or an inability to feel happiness.
A person’s method of dealing with a traumatic experience can impact his or her ability to get sober in the short and long-term. That is why, when looking for addiction treatment, people with PTSD must address both disorders.
Even if PTSD was the first disorder to manifest itself, it doesn’t mean treating it will solve addiction-related issues. Leaving addiction untreated can trigger symptoms of PTSD and end up undoing all the work to treat it.
The opposite can also be an issue. Addressing addiction and not PTSD might cause the symptoms of PTSD to become worse. As mentioned, PTSD symptoms might lead the person to seek drugs and alcohol to numb their pain.
Unresolved emotional trauma can cause physical health issues to arise along with ongoing psychiatric problems. A trauma-based therapy approach, in conjunction with our multidisciplinary programs, offers those recovering from addiction the ability to start healing the emotions within. In a lot of cases of addiction, there is an underlying traumatic issue that has not been addressed. Until any underlying trauma is resolved, an addict is at risk of relapse.
For those who are suffering from a history of trauma, there is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. This is a type of trauma therapy that is used to resolve the development of trauma-related disorders by combining psychotherapy and eye movement therapy. It is meant to reduce negative associations with traumatic events and reduce distressful emotional reactions over the course of multiple sessions.
We use this course of treatment in conjunction with holistic and traditional therapies. That way, patients can begin addressing their trauma in a more complete manner. This allows them to work more in-depth on trauma-related issues without neglecting other important parts of treatment.
Our goal is to help patients overcome trauma, recognize the connection between their trauma and addictions, become abstinent, and learn how to safely and healthily manage mental distress in the outside world.
Whether the decision to be free from addiction has come from you or a loved one, the all important first step is drug or alcohol detox. Unity Behavioral Health offers an effective, medically supervised detox providing the best results.
HELPLINE: 561-708-5295Millions of people struggle with trauma and substance abuse every day. This is nothing more than a vicious cycle that continues to play itself out as both disorders affect one’s health more and more.
The only effective way to break this cycle is to provide concurrent addiction and trauma therapy treatment. By doing so, patients gain control of their addictions while moving on from traumatic experiences that can trigger addiction-related issues.
Our compassionate team of professionals at Unity Behavioral Health has worked with dozens of people and families in treating trauma and substance use disorders. We understand the challenges these patients face inside and out. That’s why we have created several courses of treatment to aid them in overcoming their challenges.
At Unity Behavioral Health, we understand the ramifications of untreated and unresolved trauma. That’s why we make trauma therapy a focus of our dual diagnosis treatments. Dual-diagnosis program plans were designed to cover all the bases and allow the person to get ready for the world.
The time to get help is now. If you or someone you love is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction and/or trauma-related illnesses, we’re here for you.
Contact us today to learn more and ask any questions you might have. Get started on the road to sobriety and relief from trauma.
Speak to one of our experienced and caring representatives at Unity Behavioral Health to learn about how our rehab programs can help your loved one defeat addiction.
HELPLINE : 561-708-5295
