The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Addiction

Dr. Gabor Maté – In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Experiencing trauma as a child can be devastating to your efforts to recover from addiction as an adult. It can stay dormant for years before it darkly manifests, weakening our defences and making us more vulnerable to addictive behaviours.

This article looks at the disturbing connection between childhood trauma and addiction, focusing on the ways unresolved trauma can influence our behaviours later in life.

How is childhood trauma defined?

Childhood trauma is a range of experiences during childhood that causes psychological hurt. The experience may threaten death or injury to the child and create feelings of fear, helplessness and dread.

Diagnoses of childhood trauma are varied, but The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) helps us understand trauma by remembering the “Three E’s”:

• Event: This is the actual threat or instance of harm that happens to the child.
• Experience: This is the way the child personally and uniquely perceives the event mentioned. Critical to understanding trauma is knowing that what feels frightening or overwhelming for one child might not have the same impact on another.
• Effect: This is the way the event and their experience impact the child. It can be immediate or emerge over time, being short-term or long-lasting.

You may hear a clinician refer to trauma as “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs), a term used in ongoing research into how trauma relates to long-term health and social consequences. The original ACE study included the following 10 adverse childhood experiences:

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Physical neglect
• Emotional neglect
• Mother treated violently
• Substance abuse in the household
• Mental illness in the household
• Parental separation or divorce
• Incarcerated household member 

Research shows that in England, almost half of all people have experienced at least one ACE, with 9% experiencing four or more. Tragically, further research shows that experiencing 6 ACEs makes a person live on average 20 years less than peers who didn’t experience any.

What are the effects of childhood trauma?

If a child experiences trauma, the effects can be immediate, ongoing, or lifelong. In adulthood, a person who suffered trauma as a child may experience the following effects:

Effects on physical health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adverse childhood experiences can cause damage to the immune system. This may increase the risk of chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Further research shows that childhood trauma can increase the risk of the following health conditions:

• Sleep impairments
• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Liver disease 
• Autoimmune conditions

Effects on mental health

In addition to the devastating physical effect, childhood trauma can increase the risk of serious mental health conditions, including:

• Depression
• PTSD
• Psychotic disorders
• Anger issues and emotional instability

An adult’s ability to form meaningful relationships can be impaired if they’ve been through severe childhood trauma. A child’s ability to form friendships and romantic relationships can suffer when they’ve progressed into adulthood. Research on newlywed couples found that people who experienced childhood trauma felt less satisfied in relationships, regardless of their partner’s characteristics and behaviours.

According to research from the NHS, it is believed that 1 in 3 diagnoses of mental conditions in adults are directly linked to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The tragic effect of childhood trauma continues to disrupt the stability of adult mental health worldwide.

How childhood trauma can lead to addiction

The physical, mental and emotional disruptions caused by childhood trauma are strongly associated with the development of substance use disorders later in life. A child who goes through trauma isn’t able to process it as adults can. A child’s brain is still going through development before reaching adulthood, and children often struggle to understand and interpret the traumatic event that happened to them.

Tumultuous childhood experiences can make a person turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to escape physical and mental pain. The urgent search for relief can enable a pattern of addictive behaviour by drinking or using drugs, which is why addiction and trauma are so closely related. Studies show that as many as 75% of people with a substance use disorder (SUD) experienced childhood trauma.

Addictions can be formed (whether to relationships, behaviours, or substances) in anything that gives immediate relief from our pain. Addictions often form when the relief is followed by craving, suffering and decreasing control.

Trauma experienced in childhood can also lead to a dysregulated stress system, making you more vulnerable to addictive behaviours. Suffering from addiction can make you dissociate and employ depersonalisation strategies that make you feel numb, disengaged and emotionless. Many substances stimulate us to feel more energy and alertness, which combats these negative feelings. In the same way, sex, gaming, gambling, and other addictions feel as though they jolt us out of a state of numbness.

In light of the deeply complex relationship between childhood trauma and addiction, a trauma-informed perspective toward treating drug addictions can help address the dangerous cycle between the two.

How trauma-informed recovery can help

As scientific research continues into the effects of trauma on recovery, specialists have developed addiction treatments that minimise the pain of past trauma. Several different trauma-informed approaches can be integrated into addiction recovery, some of the most common including:

• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT): In the development of third-wave behavioural therapy clusters, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) became a cornerstone of treating people with addictions who suffered childhood trauma. DBT is a more specific form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that focuses on helping a person’s emotions. Addiction recovery can be one of the most emotionally intense processes a person can ever experience. DBT helps to treat the mental health challenges often felt in recovery.
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is a type of therapy focused on reprocessing traumatic memories while practising a combination of eye movements, audio stimulation and chimebell ringing. Research suggests that EMDR psychotherapy can provide relief and solace from PTSD, a common condition for people who suffered childhood trauma.
• Seeking Safety: Seeking Safety is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy modelled on coping skills. It is designed to help people attain safety in their relationships and emotions after experiencing childhood trauma. It’s available as a book, and many treatment programmes incorporate its practices to develop mental resilience as you recover.

Through the use of trauma-informed care, the suffering within addiction can become easier to manage and a successful recovery is supported. Trauma-informed care considers the pervasive nature of trauma and helps promote an environment of healing and recovery that works to ease your emotional pains.

Where can I turn to for help with my addiction?

Trauma plays a devastating role in a person’s life and can increase the likelihood of becoming addicted to a substance. Recovering from addiction while addressing your childhood trauma is a deeply personal and transformative journey.

At UKAT, we recognise the profound connection between trauma and addiction, offering tailored, trauma-informed care to support you every step of the way. Our team combines evidence-based therapies like DBT and EMDR with a holistic approach to help support your recovery.

If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction and its ties to past trauma, UKAT is here to help. Begin your journey to recovery today in a safe, supportive and understanding environment.