A Trauma-Focused Approach to Addiction

With over two decades of expertise in trauma-informed therapy, I have witnessed firsthand the perilous path people take from addiction to recovery. I’ve worked with high-functioning addicts and addicts whose lives seem irrevocably damaged by dependency.

The path to recovery is deeply personal and fraught with challenges, and it is best if you find assistance. Since addiction is so personal, for some people having an advocate outside their social circle can be transformative. This is especially true for people whose substance use is rooted in trauma.

I've seen how unresolved emotional pain and traumatic experiences lead to dependency. Unfortunately, many of my clients were prescribed mind-altering drugs when they were children, so the establishment essentially taught them that the solution to life’s problems was to take drugs. That unto itself is a traumatic experience. It should come as no surprise when a child who endured such treatment self-prescribes drugs at a later time in their life.

Drugs also provide what seems like escape, at least in the immediate moment. When trauma goes deep and its impacts are ever-present—intellectually, emotionally, instinctively or all three at once—simply silencing it with drugs appeals to us all. Even when our common sense clearly perceives that drug abuse makes our situation worse, we abuse drugs anyway, for the illusion of escape.

Highly relevant is how the media and entertainment industry push drugs on us constantly, making them seem like an inevitable part of any social interaction. Movie characters, series characters, top YouTubers, celebrities, everyone holds a drink. Corporations, strangely, are now incorporating drinking into their cultures Mad Men style.

I’ve had clients who felt pressured to “pregame” drink with work associates online, before meeting up for a corporate event, where they drank even more. How do you navigate that sober? There’s no simple answer, so having someone who understands the nuances of your situation can help a great deal.

Ultimately, addiction shifts the individual from a state of searching for relief to a state of “employment” to their addiction, where acquiring, using and concealing the drug consumes a greater and greater portion of the addict’s waking hours. Daily activities revolve around when to dose, and at any moment, that “when” could splatter into “all the time,” splattering you along with it.

Addiction Is Complex, So Recovery Must Be Multifaceted

There is only one universal truth that applies to everyone: at any moment, a person in the grips of addiction can choose to shift directions. An excellent first step is reaching out for help that can guide you personally.

Turning to a person outside of our regular social circles, someone we know is trustworthy who provides professional guidance, throws open the windows of the mind.

Addressing the traumas underlying our drug use enables us to transition out of addiction, and to embrace a sober way of being. That path will be utterly unique for every person, and sharing it helps us transform with more and more purpose.

That path will also be full of the potential for renewal. Recovery enables us to look to the horizon with fresh eyes. A person in recovery can easily drop into a negative spiral. Having someone to remind them of this open-window, long-view perspective can contribute greatly to their transformation.

Recovery allows us to discover our true selves. It opens us to possibilities beyond the boundaries that drug use imposes upon us.

Maintaining Long-Term Sobriety

Sustainable sobriety is not about being sober. It’s about an attraction to a far more capable way of mind. Sustainable sobriety is not about self-discipline, either. There is no part of us chaffing to get back to the drug. We have left it in the past. We become a new version of ourselves.

Getting to the root causes of our addictions provides a solid, sustainable path out of them. One-on-one conversations can progress it steadily and confidently, allowing for our uniqueness and encouraging our self-discovery.

National Helpline (SAMHSA): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)