Why Do Trauma And Addiction Frequently Coexist?

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Why do trauma and addiction frequently coexist?

Traumatic experiences mold you. These situations alter how you see the world and how you see yourself, whether they were encountered as a child or as an adult. It is not unusual to learn that someone who has gone through a terrible event now battles addiction. Trauma too frequently results in alcoholism or drug abuse.

Trauma and addiction are fatally correlated. There is still hope if you or a loved one suffers from a substance abuse issue as a result of trauma. Along with finding liberation from the substance keeping you captive, you might also find hope and healing. At the Addiction Hotline (888) 672-2120, you can get help.

Trauma is an incident or set of events that negatively impact your physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health. Trauma comes in various forms, with the following being the most common:

  • Physical assault
  • Sexual assault
  • Rape
  • Domestic violence
  • Emotional or verbal abuse
  • Parental neglect
  • Bullying or ongoing harassment
  • Natural disasters
  • Accidents, like car crashes or fire
  • Terminal illnesses

Having experienced a childhood trauma can have a variety of psychological and behavioral side consequences, including:

  • Dramatic mood shifts
  • Erratic behavior
  • Excessive or inappropriate displays of emotions
  • Ongoing fear, nervousness, or anxiety
  • Prolonged agitation or irritability
  • Lack of confidence
  • Eating disorders
  • Avoiding things that remind you of your traumatic experience
  • Continually reliving the event
  • Problems with how you relate with others in your professional life
  • Romantic and social relationship issues

The chances of developing a drug or alcohol addiction are also incredibly high for people who experienced trauma as children.

Because of a characteristic of the human brain called plasticity, childhood experiences frequently persist into adolescence and adulthood. They influence your thoughts, actions, and responses to others and circumstances. Childhood trauma and drinking and other addictions are inextricably linked.

The relationship between child abuse and drug addiction is brought on by the possibility that early trauma and mistreatment are to blame for structural abnormalities in the brain. Different issues with cognition and behavior may result from these anomalies. Cortisol levels that are elevated and other stress hormones that are linked to childhood trauma impair healthy brain development.

PTSD is just one of the long-term mental health problems that trauma can cause. Up to two-thirds of all addicts had some kind of traumatic incident when they were young. These people might also take after family members they grew up with in terms of substance misuse and self-medication. Many people turn to self-medication as a result of these problems, which serves as the basis for the connection between trauma and substance dependence.

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