Did you know that 50% of the people diagnosed with eating disorders suffered from assault when they were children? That means that a link exists between childhood experiences and behavioral outcomes in adulthood. Similarly, a link exists between childhood trauma and addiction in adulthood. Understanding this link is a critical step in helping someone overcome his addiction. Remember, you can solve an issue as painlessly as possible if you deal with its root cause. Here is a 2018 guide to the link between childhood trauma and addiction in adulthood.
- Escaping the Memories of the Trauma
Memories trigger emotional responses. More specifically, happy moments trigger happy emotional responses. Similarly, traumatic moments trigger depressive moods. Studies have shown that traumatic experiences trigger a stronger emotional response than positive ones do. Many people feel that dealing with a negative emotional response is too difficult for them. Therefore, escaping this negativity is necessary and in adulthood, they decide to escape it by using drugs. That is how they become addicts. Remember, some memories will never fade away. That means the responses that they trigger will be constant. Therefore, using drugs constantly is a way of escaping the never-ending emotional heartache that they feel when they remember their trauma. - Expressing Their Feelings & Thoughts
In most cases, children who have gone through trauma decide to keep it secret for various reasons. One of them is that their friends may tease them. Another one is that they fear retribution from the person who caused the trauma. Eventually, these kids learn to keep their true feelings to themselves. Some of them become loners as well. However, humans are expressive beings. Therefore, failing to speak about matters that are important to you at some point is difficult. Abusing drugs allows these kids to loosen up so that they can express themselves. This drug use continues into adulthood. Eventually, these people find it hard to express themselves without using drugs to do so.
3. Seeking Friendship among Outcasts
Traumatic experiences are inevitable in life. At some point, you will fall ill or someone close to you will pass away. However, adults and children interpret these experiences differently. For example, kids without a father might feel as though they are outcasts in society. Therefore, sitting and talking to kids who constantly talk about their dads becomes difficult for them. They would rather join the misfits in society who talk about drugs, sex, and money as opposed to family. These friendships continue into adulthood as do the vices that these friends practice.
4. Relieving Stress and Trying To Feel Good
It is worth noting that stress and trauma are inseparable. Another noteworthy point is that trauma leads to stress. In most cases, it is impossible for children to prevent the trauma that they experience. This trauma stresses them as it occurs and after it happens. The only recourse that these kids have is to find a way of dealing with this stress. They turn to drugs to deal with their stress. This practice becomes a habit and they continue with it into adulthood. Therefore, drug use becomes their preferred way of dealing with stress. Go to Silvermist Recovery – Trauma and Addiction to find more information on the link between childhood experiences and addiction.
RD Neha Kava
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