Vicious Cycle of Childhood Trauma and Substance Use
By Caroline Kahiu
While many people have casually observed for decades, there is emerging knowledge that there is a clear correlation between childhood experiences and consequent substance use. There are, of course, multiple causes and contributing factors for substance use, but trauma, particularly during childhood puts the individual at far greater risk of developing a substance use disorder later in life. Bellis Zisk observes that “trauma can affect the reward centers of our brain, making us more susceptible to substance use or other conditions.”
Defining trauma is no easy task. What constitutes trauma differs from one individual to the next. Trauma isn’t necessarily a specific experience but more to do with how the individual perceives and experiences the event. Simply put, traumas are events or experiences that are endured or witnessed as threatening, dangerous, violent, and or a feeling of loss of control. Trauma can be acute and time-limited; chronic and repeated, or complex that is most often inflicted by adults. The traumatic incidents that we experience in our childhood very easily can, and often do, end up following us into maturity creating a variety of long-term mental health issues that may cause us to self-medicate through substance use.
To better understand the effects of trauma and how they lead to substance use, let’s take a closer look at the link between adverse childhood experiences and addiction. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study, originally conducted by Kaiser Permanente, identifies categories of trauma that can occur prior to age 18. These include physical abuse and neglect, emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, and household dysfunction — e.g., mother treated violently, house, parental incarceration, parental mental illness, and divorce. Exposure to ACEs can lead to toxic stress and myriad negative consequences, often including lifelong deleterious effects on physical and mental health. Ramifications of ACEs can include addiction, reduced access to education, and vulnerability to sexual exploitation and trafficking.
Clearly, substance use makes sense at some level. It provides the user with the desired ‘freedom’ from their own minds, albeit at a high price. Compared with other common forms of self-destructive behavior such as self-harm, eating disorders, and sex or gambling addictions, substance use brings about a greater, more immediate dose of the desired brain chemicals. It is, therefore, an immediate way for the trauma survivor to find release.
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with childhood trauma and substance use is the vicious cycle. The individual is stuck in a place where it is difficult to be. Sometimes interventions focus on substance use as the primary problem yet it is the individual’s self-prescribed remedy to the main issue. If you take away their remedy from the consequences of childhood trauma, you leave them with more pain. It is important not to think about substance use as the problem but as a result of a more serious problem. Otherwise, we allow the vicious cycle to continue to play out. To attempt to beat substance use in childhood trauma survivors, it is paramount that we first reduce the effects of childhood trauma.
No one should expect to wipe out the effects of trauma along with substance use overnight. It is through the use of trauma-informed care that we can compassionately and comprehensively support these individuals. Vulnerable children and adolescents should and must be protected. Professional counselors play pivotal roles now more than ever and hold the potential to help effect positive change for innumerable individuals, families, and communities. Let us make an impact now and into the future.
Published: Daily Nation 09/06/2022 & People Daily 14/06/2022