Throughout the world, an estimated 400 million people live with alcohol use disorders (AUD).¹ Although it’s such a widespread problem, it’s still not fully understood why some people struggle with this condition. One of the findings that shed some light on the condition, however, is how intricately linked trauma and addiction are.
The development of alcohol use disorders is often a result of experiencing a traumatic event, but why does it occur, and what steps can you take to help yourself through these challenges? Learn more about trauma and addiction and why they often co-occur.
Why Traumatic Experiences Can Lead to Substance Use Disorders
When you experience a traumatic event, your entire body reacts. Your amygdala and hypothalamus kick in, launching the well-known fight-or-flight response to danger. You feel surges of adrenaline, increased blood pressure and heart rate, and significant muscle tension.
This powerful response is something your body will remember, prompting the same response to anything that reminds you of the traumatic event. No matter how harmless the trigger may be, you can feel the same overpowering distress that you did during the traumatic incident.
In the most severe cases, a traumatic incident can prompt the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can cause serious and overwhelming effects on your psyche and physical health. People who have had adverse childhood experiences, physical or emotional abuse, or other similar traumatic incidents are more likely to develop anxiety disorders and depression, too.
Anxiety can prompt overwhelming feelings of dread, while depression can suck all happiness from your life. PTSD symptoms can include²:
- Flashbacks
- Avoidance of anything that reminds you of the event
- Feelings of shame, guilt, and sadness
- Isolation
- Memory problems
- Being easily startled
- Self-destructive behavior
The symptoms can be so severe that you may look for any way of managing them. Often, that means relying on substances like drugs or alcohol. These substances impact your brain’s reward system, temporarily dulling discomfort and causing euphoria. Once the effects wear off, trauma symptoms can be even stronger than before, leading you to drink more.
Unchecked, PTSD and alcohol use become linked, making it difficult to untangle one from the other without treating both at the same time.
Breaking Free From the Trauma and Addiction Cycle
If you are living with alcohol dependence because of trauma, there are steps you can take to help yourself heal. The first is to understand that you have an illness like any other. Often, people are ashamed of talking about alcohol abuse because of the stigma associated with it. By accepting that it’s a condition just like diabetes or cancer, you can begin to speak openly about your struggles.
You need to understand that the only way of healing is to tackle the trauma head-on. This can be particularly difficult to do if you suffer childhood trauma because you may have done everything possible to bury it, blocking as much of it as possible from your subconscious. Without addressing the trauma, however, it can be challenging to break the hold alcohol has on you.
Once you know you have a substance use disorder because of your trauma, it’s time to look for professional help. Because alcohol withdrawal can have serious symptoms, ensuring you begin your sobriety safely is vital. Look for a program that provides comprehensive services or detox referrals so that you can receive the full assistance you need.
It’s not enough to go through the detoxification process and start 12-step programs, however. You must also dive into the trauma and understand the damage it caused. Attending mental health therapy sessions, both individual and group is one of the best options.
Getting Help for Addiction and Trauma at Silver Sands Recovery
If your alcohol consumption has become problematic and the symptoms of PTSD or other mental health conditions make sobriety feel impossible, consider reaching out to treatment programs that offer compassionate care. At Silver Sands Recovery, our team can help you find the most appropriate treatment program for alcohol misuse and trauma so that you can find your way to stability once more.
Contact our team at Silver Sands Recovery to learn about our program options.
Sources:
[1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol
[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967
About the author:
Lisa Waknin is the Founder and Director of Silver Sands Recovery, located in Prescott, Arizona. Lisa started Silver Sands Recovery after immersing herself in the addiction treatment world for several years to figure out what could be done differently to help her daughter and others like her to overcome addiction and stay sober. She believes in a hands-on treatment approach, which includes taking someone out of their environment, providing a 90-day program in a structured environment. During treatment, clients not only recover physically but also learn to live their life again. Lisa is a sought-after expert speaker for recovery support groups, charities, schools, communities, and companies wanting to educate themselves on the explosion of opiate and heroin abuse in our country and the best way to understand, treat, and beat it.
