In recovery from substance abuse, it is important to not only address the addiction itself, but also any mental health issues that the addict suffers from as well. Here, trauma and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder will be discussed as it relates to addiction.
Trauma, the experience of being emotionally overwhelmed by something that is not to be expected in your childhood or lifetime, is commonly reported by addicts as they enter treatment. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a set of emotional problems that can occur after someone has experienced a trauma, is a common diagnosis for addicts in drug and alcohol treatment. Among women in treatment for substance abuse, 30%-59% have a current PTSD diagnosis. Among men in treatment, 11%-38% have a current PTSD diagnosis. These statistics only include those “reporting” the symptoms, but it is believed that the percentages are actually higher. For instance, it is estimated that 90% of women in treatment have experienced trauma in their lifetime.
With these rates of trauma and PTSD, it is clear that addiction and trauma/PTSD are linked. It is important for the addict to understand the link and also to understand the symptoms that can occur with PTSD- nightmares, flashbacks, or intrusive images, numbing, dissociation, and hypervigilance. For some, the addiction follows a trauma and is utilized as a coping strategy. For others, the addiction has already begun when they experience the trauma and then spirals afterward. Once the addict enters treatment, it is common to have traumatic events from the past and PTSD symptoms surface early in recovery, so it is important to have a treatment program that offers treatment from both.
Trauma/PTSD recovery is possible as you heal from addiction. As in recovery around addiction, trauma recovery happens in stages. The first stage in healing is safety. This stage is the stage all addicts are in when they enter treatment for addiction. At this stage, you are to become clean and sober, remove yourself from destructive situations/relationships, learn skills to stabilize your mood and any PTSD symptoms, and attain stability.
Stage two is mourning. In this stage you are already feeling safe within yourself and your environment. This is a time of grieving about the past and the losses that resulted from the trauma. The work at this stage is usually done with a therapist who can assist in the process and support you through this time. Stage three is reconnection. After you have completed stage two you can begin to connect to your environment and others in a new way.
It is important for these stages to be completed in order, to assure that you are safe and able to work through the grief and loss in a healthy way. Many addicts have used drugs and alcohol to numb the pain experienced around their trauma or PTSD symptoms. If the addict isn’t safe before processing the trauma in recovery, it can lead to relapse and/or self-destructive behavior.
Recovery from alcohol and drug addiction and recovery from trauma/PTSD are similar in that they require stabilization first and then exploration into other issues. Part of that stabilization for trauma/PTSD is working with professionals to learn skills to cope with the symptoms, gain better understanding of the symptoms and to begin to take medications if necessary. Recovery from trauma/PTSD is possible and many have healed from both the trauma and addiction.
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