From Trauma to Addiction: Unraveling the Complex Link
Trauma is an emotional response to a deep, disturbing, or distressful event like a natural disaster, an accident, or an act of violence. Responses to traumatic events are very personal and individualized depending on a number of factors.
Unfortunately, long-term effects can be unpredictable and disruptive to all aspects of life. Symptoms can vary from emotional, psychological, and physical. When a person has symptoms that consistently interfere with life, oftentimes, they turn to coping mechanisms to help manage them.
Not all methods are the most constructive or healthy, including substance abuse and addiction. Here’s a closer look at how trauma and addiction are connected.
How Trauma Affects the Brain
After experiencing a trauma, your brain chemistry becomes altered and then uses compensatory methods for reacting.
The amygdala is like a built-in fire alarm in your brain, whose main function is to detect any immediate threats or danger. When potential danger is detected, the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated, hormones are released, and the body starts to enter a fight or flight response. If the amygdala becomes overactive due to trauma, it can become more sensitive and trigger more easily, if not inappropriately. An overactive amygdala can lead to anxiety disorders, PTSD symptoms, hypervigilance, panic attacks, and avoidant behavior.
The hippocampus’ job is to promote learning and storage of memories as well as regulate emotion and stress responses. Impairments in the hippocampus’ functioning can lead to depression, chronic stress, health troubles, relationship problems, and unhealthy lifestyles due to an improper ability to manage emotions.
The prefrontal cortex can be considered the main decision-maker of the brain, which is responsible for rational thinking, memory, planning, and responding effectively. During a trauma event, the brain enters a survival mode, which can cause re-routing around the prefrontal cortex. As a result, impulsivity, learning disabilities, and attention impairments can develop.
All of this altered activity in the brain can lead a person to develop poor habits, including addiction.
Types of Trauma
Physical or sexual assault, whether you know the person or not, are common forms of trauma. Domestic violence occurs when someone inside the household, a parent or spouse, performs a violent act.
Emotional abuse occurs when someone exerts control or tries to manipulate another person using their emotions. Bullying can fall under this category, as well as assault if there is physical contact.
Natural disasters can deliver life-altering consequences and result in scarring experiences for those who have lived through them. Accidents or any activity that leads to a serious injury can be a traumatic event. Chronic illnesses also come with burdensome symptoms and may require hefty resources for management. All of the above can lead to PTSD and flashbacks.
The Connection Between Trauma and Addiction
For many people, substance abuse and addiction become a slippery slope due to the effects of drugs and alcohol. For a brief moment of time, substances provide pleasure or reduce the negative feelings associated with trauma symptoms. They give a reprieve, distract from your triggers, and even calm your central nervous system.
If you have experienced trauma, you’re more vulnerable to seeking out addictive habits as a way to regulate your mood or suppress your heightened stress response.
On the other hand, rather than feeling an over-arousal, some people might fall on the other end of the spectrum. After a traumatic experience, you may feel numb or emotionless as a defense mechanism. Certain addictive habits can make you feel again. The high from the addiction may seem better than feeling nothing at all.
The relationship between trauma and addiction is complex and may require dual-focused treatment. If you’re struggling with trauma or addiction, contact us to learn more about healthier coping mechanisms.
