CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND ADDICTION
The Tangled Relationship Between Addiction and Trauma
For many people, experiencing trauma such as sexual, physical, emotional abuse or severe loss sets them on a path toward substance abuse and addiction. Understanding this can enable you to help a person who is using drugs and may be starting on that path.
Trauma and Pain Can Drive Addiction
We’ve often heard the question “Can someone be predisposed to addiction?” The question indicates that there can be something inherently or genetically different about a person that makes him more likely to use drugs and alcohol.
Drug Addiction May Come From Troubled Childhood
While childhood trauma may be a factor in later drug use, a study revealed that siblings who came from the same kind of abuse or loss did not also turn to drugs, despite otherwise compulsive behavior. There are those who choose to cope with trauma differently.