Treatment for addiction will look different for everyone. There’s no silver bullet or one-size-fits-all solution that is recommended for each person dealing with addiction. Just as you’re a unique individual who fell into substance abuse due to the very personal circumstances of your own life, climbing out of it requires a similarly individualized plan.
Because of that, there are a number of therapies that can be used either in tandem or by themselves to build a rehab program that suits your story and can help you overcome addiction.
This is particularly important because often, a substance use disorder (SUD) will coincide with a trauma-induced mental disorder.
Are Trauma and Substance Abuse Related?
Not only are trauma and substance abuse related but mental illness, in general, is linked with addiction in what’s known as a comorbidity, which is defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as:
“When a person has two or more disorders at the same time or one after the other. This occurs frequently with substance use and mental disorders. Comorbidity also means that interactions between these two disorders can worsen the course of both.”
They go on to note that, “of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9% also had mental illnesses” and “among the 42.1 million adults with mental illness, 18.2% also had substance use disorders”.
Trauma very much falls into this equation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) pointing out that “substance use (e.g., smoking, excessive alcohol use, and taking drugs), mental health conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, or PTSD), and other risky behaviors (e.g., self-injury and risky sexual encounters) have been linked with traumatic experiences”.
Drugs and alcohol are used as coping mechanisms to deal with the unresolved and untreated trauma a person is living with. Escapism in a sense.
This cuts across all parts of society.
For example, a study about urban populations found that “there are high rates of lifetime dependence on various substances in this high-risk population. Additionally, the level of substance use, particularly cocaine, is strongly associated with levels of childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse as well as current PTSD symptoms.”
And the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adds, “more than 2 of 10 Veterans with PTSD also have SUD”
What Are the Different Trauma Therapy Modalities in Addiction Treatment?
Fortunately, dual-diagnosis treatment – a type of rehab that helps you work through trauma and addiction – is available.
In fact, there are several trauma therapy modalities out there and we’ll touch on a couple of the most notable here:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
An evidence-based type of psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is predicated on helping you recognize and identify negative and detrimental thought patterns that have a destructive impact on your life and shift them.
It’s been called the “gold standard of psychotherapy”.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
A type of cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy is also a form of talk therapy with the distinction being that it’s more about acceptance, living in the moment, coping with stressors and improving how you deal with others.
How Principles Recovery Center Can Help You With Addiction Today
When you consider the seemingly infinite ways in which someone can find their lives intertwined with substances, the ability to have your treatment be specific to your circumstances is crucial. Be it CBT, DBT, group therapy or holistic options, a customized rehab experience goes a long way in creating positive outcomes.
At Principles Recovery Center in Davie, Florida, our 30+ years of combined experience treating substance abuse through dual-diagnosis treatment mean we’re well suited to help you beat your addiction and resolve the trauma at the root of it.
Reach out to us today to learn more and get on the road to recovery.
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