How Can Addiction Mask Past Hurts, Habits, and Hang Ups?
For some people, drug and alcohol addiction is brought on by the need to find a way to deal with past pain and trauma. Without a doubt, it becomes necessary for an individual to find a way to stop thinking about the past pain they have or to find an opportunity to simply no longer feel the frustrations they have. In some cases, a person without addiction begins using because they need to find a way to heal. Yet, this does not fix anything but instead creates an increased risk for numerous additional consequences, including life-threatening addiction and dependence.
If you are using drugs or alcohol as a way to deal with your past, it may be time to find a way to get through that pain in a healthier manner. Remember, too, that making the decision to stop using may mean you need mental health support as well. America’s Rehab Campuses can offer that type of treatment for you.
Why the Past Matters
Many people with addiction suffer from co-occurring disorders. That is, a person with addiction may be at a higher risk than others for developing a mental health disorder. The opposite is true, too. A person with a mental health disorder is at a higher risk of turning to alcohol or drugs as a way to manage those circumstances. That may lead to the development of addiction.
If you have past pain and hang ups, you may be at a higher risk for having clinical trauma. That means that your brain has not processed and worked through the intense pain of what you experienced, witnessed, or was otherwise involved in. Because that glitch is there, it is hard for you to move forward. You may think about that event often, or you may feel the past pain in the form of guilt. No matter what caused the trauma, it has impacted you.
Now, you may be facing the memories so frequently that you turn to drugs or alcohol to help you stop thinking about them or at least to calm your mind. The problem is that they do not last long. The thoughts come back, and those hang ups seem to be stronger and more painful. When that happens, you feel the intense need to do something about it. You use more drugs, turn to more powerful substances, or may do anything you can not to be sober. This all steps from the pain you feel.
As you use more, your tolerance grows. That means your body needs more of the drug more often in order for you to get the same type of relief. That means you are at a higher risk for dependence and overdose as well. Soon, you cannot stop even if you want to.
What Can Be Done About It?
There is help available to get you through this. It starts with having access to the level of care you need. For many people, that means turning to a drug and alcohol treatment center that can help you with past trauma. This is critical because treatment for co-occurring disorders is necessary. It is not possible to treat just the addiction or just the mental health disorder. That leads to relapse and complications from it.
Instead, you need a treatment plan that will address both conditions at one time. Co-occurring disorder treatment typically involves the use of detox, medications, and therapy to help a person safely work through what’s happening. That may mean spending some time with a therapist going over those past problems and working through the difficult trauma. Your therapist is not going to force you to relive what’s occurred, but you will learn how to deal with what’s happened and leave it in the past. That enables you to move forward with your life.
Treatment like this may begin with a medical detox program. It often will include mental health support which may include working closely with a therapist to ease through the past pain.
At America’s Rehab Campuses, we offer a wide range of resources to support your recovery. That includes providing you with access to the most innovative tools and mediations to support your future needs, as well as, accepting insurances such as Tricare and many more. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.
