Children’s physical and sexual abuse and neglect frequently occur in the U.S., considered public health issues. Most trauma experts agree that being exposed to these types of experiences in childhood can significantly raise a person’s risk of developing a drug or alcohol addiction in the future. Many abuse victims ultimately require a trauma therapy program for addiction.
The specialized trauma therapy programs at Sierra Sage Recovery Services offer the support trauma survivors need to succeed in their recovery process. Call 833.922.2884 today to learn more.
What Is Trauma?
Some people experience trauma without recognizing how serious the event was or how it impacted them. For example, a child that grows up in an abusive household believes their treatment is “normal.” It is not unusual for adults to first recognize abusive childhood events as traumatic once they enter addiction treatment and discover what a trauma therapy program is about.
Trauma is described as exposure to an incident or series of life-threatening or emotionally disturbing incidents. Regarding childhood trauma, this definition may include:
- Poverty
- Being abandoned or separated from a loved one
- Parental neglect
- Physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse
- Parental substance use or mental health disorders
- Being the victim of racism, oppression, or discrimination
- Witnessing violence in your community, including war or acts of terrorism
Not everyone reacts to trauma in the same way. Still, these events can have a lasting effect on a child’s ability to function on all levels, including physically, socially, emotionally, and mentally.
Understanding the Link Between Trauma and Addiction
Often, trauma and addiction go hand in hand. Trauma changes the way your brain functions. Everything you do or experience causes the neurons in your brain to grow, adapt or break. A child’s brain is still forming and is especially vulnerable to trauma. Childhood trauma shapes how you think, react and behave.
Some addictions result from faulty brain function. Addiction is commonly referred to as a disease of the brain. Individuals whose brains have been altered by trauma may become addicted more easily. In other cases, the desire to escape traumatic memories or self-medicate mental health disorders that have resulted from trauma can lead to addiction.
The Warning Signs of Trauma
A wide range of psychological and behavioral side effects are associated with childhood trauma. Even when a person tries to suppress or ignore past trauma, signs of the experience will still emerge. In addition to alcohol or substance use, some of the symptoms of trauma include:
- Easily agitated, irritable
- Continually reliving the past, including past traumas
- Mood swings
- Erratic behavior
- Feeling anxious, nervous, or fearful for no apparent reason
- Avoiding people, places, and things linked to the traumatic events
- Other addictive behaviors such as gambling, sex addiction, or eating disorders
- Low self-esteem, lack of confidence
- Unable to maintain healthy relationships, romantic or social
If you or someone you love is exhibiting the above signs regularly, seek guidance from a trained trauma therapist. Your behaviors could be related to unhealed trauma.
Thinking about or attempting suicide is also a symptom of childhood trauma. Seek emergency help if you or a loved one threatens suicide or has suicidal fantasies. The pain of unresolved childhood trauma can be extremely deep and real to the sufferer and should be taken seriously.
Sierra Sage Offers Trauma-Informed Therapy
The trauma therapy program at Sierra Sage combines different types of support such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dual diagnosis treatment, and group therapy to address unresolved trauma.
Healing childhood trauma is key to long-term addiction recovery. Call 833.922.2884 for more information about the professional and compassionate treatment professionals waiting to help you at Sierra Sage Recovery Services.
