Addiction and trauma treatment is one out of the most common dual-diagnosis treatment programs that rehab facilities offer. Addiction and trauma make for a comorbid disorder where the person suffering deals with a mental health disorder and addiction.
Co-occurring or comorbid disorders are common when it comes to substance abuse. Stats show that up to 50% of people with a substance use disorder also have some sort of comorbid mental health disorders.
Trauma is one of the many common mental health disorders that accompany substance use disorders.
Are Addiction and Trauma Related?
For every comorbid disorder, there is a strong link between substance use and mental disorder. The case is not different for trauma. People who have experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime are more likely to develop a substance use disorder.
It does not matter if the exposure to trauma is primary or secondary. A person might experience anxiety, fear, depression, anger, insomnia, and other symptoms that mirror mental health disorders after experiencing trauma.
These symptoms make it easy for people who are experiencing trauma to turn to drugs. In many instances, the link between trauma and addiction doesn’t go both ways.
Unlike depression and anxiety that can fuel substance use disorders and vice versa, trauma is mostly one way. In almost all of the cases of trauma and addiction, trauma has preceded addiction.
However, if one of the disorders worsens, it affects the other one. For instance, if anxiety and depression that are caused by trauma worsen, it then worsens the individual’s dependency on drugs or alcohol. As a result, trauma and addiction treatment are a dual-diagnosis program offered during addiction treatment.
Traumatic events that can lead to a comorbid disorder include:
- Terminal illness
- Sexual assault
- Physical assault
- A life threatening accident
- Bullying
- Emotional abuse
- Domestic violence
- Combat duty
Why Addiction and Trauma Are Best Treated Together
Treating a comorbid disorder requires an addiction treatment program that treats both disorders at the same time. Previously, before health experts discovered that dual-diagnosis can help people suffering from comorbid disorders, only the addiction was treated. Unfortunately the relapse rate was higher in these cases due to only one disorder being treated.
Trauma and addiction treatment programs offer the following treatment:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Exposure
- Use of drugs when needed to counter symptoms
- Support group therapy
- Trauma counseling
- Coping skills development
- Holistic treatment
If you are suffering from trauma and addiction, you will want to treat both at the same time. Benefits of seeing dual-diagnosis addiction treatment include:
- Effective treatment
As stated earlier, trauma drives substance use in people with a co-occurring disorder of trauma and substance use disorder. Treating only the addiction aspect of the problem isn’t an effective way to tackle the problem.
Addiction and trauma are best treated together at a dual-diagnosis program due to how both disorders interact with each other.
When you treat addiction and trauma together, the person suffering from both is able to see first hand how one affects the other.
During this time, addicts can understand how trauma affects addiction, but more importantly, they can learn how to manage their addiction and trauma.
- Long lasting recovery
The concurrent treatment has long-lasting effects on people with co-occurring disorders, especially when they are treated together. Addicts who treat both disorders together have a better shot at staying sober long after they leave addiction treatment. There are fewer relapses, improved quality of life, and long term recovery.
How Grace Recovery Can Help With Addiction and Trauma
Are you seeking treatment for trauma and addiction? Grace Recovery has got you covered! Grace Recovery offers dual-diagnosis treatment to individuals with comorbid disorders. We blend different types of therapies and therapeutic approaches to your treatment.
If you or someone you love is suffering from addiction, please reach out to us today. A member of our team is happy to answer any questions you may have regarding how to heal from an addiction.
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