Family Strategies with Addiction

It’s not uncommon to hear that someone who has suffered a traumatic experience now struggles with addiction. However, when working with a loved one with an addiction, we leave our judgments at the curb.

Traumatic events shape you. Whether it’s a childhood experience or something you faced as an adult, these situations change how you see the world and view yourself. It’s not uncommon to hear that someone who has suffered a traumatic experience now struggles with addiction. Unfortunately, too often, trauma leads to alcoholism or drug abuse.

Trauma can affect a loved one, and the family may NEVER KNOW!

Why does this happen? There is a deadly link between trauma and addiction. If you or someone you love has a substance abuse disorder because of trauma, that’s not the end of your story. But, you can find hope, healing, and freedom from the substance holding you captive.

Trauma is more than a negative experience. It’s an event or series of circumstances that have lasting effects on your mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual well-being. Trauma causes high levels of stress because your mind and body see this event as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening. Stress triggers the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline — the same hormones that handle your body’s fight-or-flight response.

In an emergency, these bodily chemicals can be valuable, but in high concentrations, they become toxic. Eventually, your body can no longer understand the difference between an actual emergency that requires a fight-or-flight response and your remembrance of an event.

Sometimes, those who experience trauma get stuck in a loop, unable to move past or process what has happened. This trauma can lead to a severe mental health disorder called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While this condition is commonly associated with veterans returning from war or combat, the exact physiological fight-or-flight responses occur in people who experience childhood trauma. Some people may turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate and mask their feelings.

There are many types of traumas, with the most common being:

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

While these are just a few examples, surviving anything you felt your life was in danger can cause PTSD.

Is a Loved One Struggling with an Addiction?

You can take control of your life today!

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