Children Who Suffer Trauma, and Addiction as Adults

The impacts of trauma during childhood often linger on into adulthood and can lead to the development of psychological problems and/or addictions. Indeed, research has established such a firm link between childhood trauma and substance abuse that some treatment facilities now offer concurrent treatment of addiction and any underlying trauma.

Trauma can take many forms and its impacts vary widely. What may prove traumatic for one child may not necessarily be so by another. Not only can a child directly experience a potentially traumatic event, but even just witnessing potential trauma being experienced by others can prove distressing. The wide range of childhood trauma-inducing events includes:

• Physical abuse/violence
• Sexual assault/abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Intimate partner abuse
• Major accident
• Severe illness and/or intensive medical treatment
• Bullying
• Death of a family member
• Divorce or separation from a family member
• Natural disasters
• Forced displacement
• Childhood neglect

Unfortunately, many of these trauma-inducing events are all too common. While experiencing or witnessing such trauma(s) during one’s childhood may not automatically lead to substance abuse and addiction, research suggests it definitely increases the likelihood of it. One of the largest studies to show the link between childhood trauma and substance abuse determined that a child experiencing more than four traumatic events was five times more likely to abuse alcohol than children experiencing fewer traumatic events. That 1995-1997 CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)—Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study led to other research concluding that childhood trauma exposure increased the likelihood of smoking marijuana, becoming an intravenous drug user and other substances.

Study after study has concluded that those battling alcoholism and drug addiction typically report much higher rates of childhood trauma than the general public. The link is so firmly established that the federal government devotes resources to combat the problem through the CDC,  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Childhood trauma’s role in adult addiction appears to be multifaceted. Some research suggests that trauma can have a negative effect on brain development by impairing its cognitive, behavioral, and social structuring. Visible on neurological scans, these disruptions may make childhood trauma victims more susceptible to substance abuse disorders. Other research focuses on how childhood trauma can limit one’s ability to learn how to manage stress, which in turn can help feed the potential to self-medicate through alcohol and/or drugs to manage stress.

Such self-medicating behavior is learned by many whose trauma was caused by loved ones who themselves were abusing alcohol and/or drugs. Perhaps equally common, childhood trauma’s influence on substance abuse can lead to a vicious cycle, with substance abuse—especially during adolescence—often leading to additional traumatic incidents.

Given childhood trauma’s apparent oversize role in many addictions and substance abuse problems, Gulf Breeze Recovery has created a separate “track” in their addiction program called “traumacare,” which is dedicated to helping those suffering with trauma and addiction. This track places the underlying cause (trauma) at the forefront in a discrete manner to help people move beyond and experience happiness and fulfillment in recovery.

Sources:

• Maria Szalavitz, “How Childhood Trauma May Make the Brain Vulnerable to Addiction, Depression.” Aug. 1, 2012. Time.
• Deena McMahon. “When Trauma Slips Into Addiction.” Dec. 17, 2018. The Chronicle of Socials Change: Children and Youth, Front and Center.
  
• CDC. Adverse Childhood Experiences. No Date (web pages).