About six out of every 100 people struggle with PTSD at some point in their lives. Left untreated, trauma can significantly hurt your health and quality of life. Many people with trauma may end up turning to drugs and alcohol to help relieve their trauma symptoms. While using substances may temporarily relieve your trauma symptoms, drug abuse can quickly turn into drug dependency and addiction. Keep reading to learn more about the connection between trauma and substance abuse below.
Outpatient LA is a leading outpatient drug rehab in Los Angeles that helps clients overcome addiction and achieve life-long sobriety. Our compassionate team is here to help you every step on your road to recovery. We offer a comprehensive range of addiction treatment in Beverly Hills so you can receive the tailored support you need to lead a healthier, happier life.
Contact us today to learn how we can best support your road to recovery.
Signs You May Be Struggling with Trauma
Before diving into the connection between trauma and substance abuse, it’s important to understand what trauma is and why many people may turn to drugs to relieve their trauma symptoms. Sometimes, trauma can be difficult to spot, because each person responds differently to traumatic events. However, if you suspect you may be struggling with trauma, below are several signs to watch out for:
- Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Constantly feeling on edge
- Constantly feeling sad or hopeless
- Uncontrollable flashbacks or nightmares of the traumatic event
- Difficulty trusting others
- Decline in work of school performance
The Link Between Trauma and Substance Use Disorders
Many people grappling with trauma also struggle with mental illness because they may turn to drugs or alcohol to relieve their trauma symptoms. While drug abuse may temporarily ease your trauma symptoms, drugs do not heal your trauma. Not to mention, consistently abusing drugs to mask your trauma symptoms can easily lead to drug dependency and addiction. This is why it’s so critical to seek professional support if you suspect you may be struggling with trauma.
Untreated trauma can not only increase your risk of abusing drugs, but it can overall have a negative impact on your health and quality of life. From hurting relationships with others to impeding your ability to live your life to the fullest, trauma can keep you chained to the past.
How You Can Heal from Trauma and Addiction
Now that you know more about the connection between trauma and substance abuse, it’s critical to understand that there is hope and healing available if you are struggling with either, or both, conditions. There are a wide range of drug rehabs and mental health treatment centers that offer services to effectively manage your addiction and trauma symptoms so you can live a healthier, happier life.
It’s important to note that if you suspect you are struggling with both conditions (trauma and drug addiction), it’s critical you seek treatment for both at the same time. Otherwise, failure to treat one condition but not the other can increase your risk of relapse. Therefore, if you are struggling with trauma and drug addiction, it’s essential to seek professional dual diagnosis treatment to effectively treat both conditions at the same time.
Break Free of Addiction For Good
There is a significant connection between trauma and substance abuse. Despite people using substances to ease their trauma symptoms, drug abuse does not effectively heal trauma. So, if you suspect you may be struggling with untreated trauma, addiction, or both conditions, it’s critical you seek professional support so you can lead a healthier, happier life.
At Outpatient LA, we provide leading outpatient treatment to help you safely overcome addiction and lead a healthier life. Our treatment options include a partial hospitalization program, intensive outpatient program, and sober living home in Los Angeles.
Contact us today to learn how our team can best support your recovery journey.