Children who have dealt with maltreatment and abuse who serious changes in vital areas of the brain. These changes have been linked with schizophrenia, PTSD, depression, and drug addiction. Abuse during childhood massively increases the risk of victims turning to drugs and alcohol. They may have experienced verbal or emotional abuse, separation or discord with their parents, emotional or physical neglect, or abuse of a physical or sexual nature. Brain scans offer evidence of trauma, even if they had not been diagnosed with a particular disorder.
Addiction
Are drugs alone to blame for the drug addiction? Or, is it the childhood abuse trauma and chronic stress that play a factor in predicting who will be unable to control their drug use, when they start experimenting?
Adult abuse survivors frequently turn to alcohol and drugs to self-medicate those painful memories. If these trauma related issues go untreated, they may be left dealing with PTSD. In order to assist childhood abuse victims in beating their addictions, the underlying trauma for childhood abuse must be dealt with.
Trauma Symptoms
In many cases, adult abuse survivors aren’t aware that by not dealing with the trauma of childhood abuse healthily, they are fueling their substance abuse problem. A vital part of getting help for childhood trauma and substance abuse is recognizing the symptoms of trauma.
While every person is different and everyone reacts differently to trauma, the following symptoms are typical of trauma:
• The inability to form and sustain healthy relationships.
• Feeling on edge and alert constantly.
• A deep sense of isolation, shame, or guilt.
• Feeling jumpy all of the time, or easily startled.
• Insomnia, and night terrors.
• Quick to snap, bouts of anger, violence, or rage.
• Realistic flashbacks that disrupt your life.
• Anxiety, deep depression, suicidal thoughts.
When childhood abuse victims receive proper trauma treatment it allows them to be in a stronger position to deal with their sobriety.
The Danger of Not Treating Drug Addiction & Alcoholism
If victims of childhood abuse don’t receive professional help with trauma, drug addiction, and alcoholism, many severe issues can occur. The addiction issue is a severe problem that needs to be addressed. The danger of drug addiction and abuse include:
• It may be difficult to find and keep a job. This is a direct result of the childhood trauma fueling a substance abuse problem.
• Substance abuse issues can lead to life-threatening issues, such as overdoses, as well as increase the likelihood of heart disease, cancer, and more.
• Untreated issues will cause personal relationships to suffer.
• Without professional help to treat the trauma, and substance abuse problem, your addiction will progress. Substance abuse problems do not go away on their own, they are progressive. If left untreated, they become all consuming.
The trauma of childhood abuse has already left an indelible mark on its victims. It can ruin their lives if they don’t receive proper trauma treatment.