Accidents & Violence, Addiction, addiction-treatment / 13.05.2025
Acadia Healthcare Treatment Addresses Connection Between Trauma and Addiction
The relationship between trauma and addiction is complex but well established. Studies show traumatic experiences, including abuse, neglect, and violence, lead to a higher likelihood of developing substance use disorders. Acadia Healthcare’s network of affiliated behavioral health facilities, offers treatment programs for those who have suffered a trauma and for patients who suffer from co-occurring conditions across behavioral health and addiction concerns.
Unfortunately, one of the common issues for many who experience trauma is the use of substances to self-medicate or manage overwhelming emotions. That’s just one of many possibly harmful outcomes of untreated trauma.
On its website, Acadia Healthcare points out PTSD can have long-lasting impacts on the lives of children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. Left untreated, post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related disorders, such as acute stress disorder or adjustment disorder, can worsen.
For younger children, this can cause developmental delays, particularly in brain, speech, and language development. Without timely intervention, children and teens may experience challenges in school, forming friendships, and maintaining jobs. Some may turn to substance use. Untreated trauma in adults contributes to significant life struggles, which could include relationship breakdowns, financial instability, and addiction.
“While the effects of PTSD and other trauma-related concerns might sound overwhelming, getting professional treatment can make an individual’s symptoms manageable,” Acadia shared on its web page about PTSD treatment.
Parita K. Ray[/caption]
Navigating life during this phase means adopting new habits, promoting a strong support system, and prioritizing mental and emotional well-being. This article will explore all the essential steps toward healing and recovery for those who have overcome the addiction challenge and are striving to build a fulfilling life.
Life in recovery can feel overwhelmingly difficult at times. We live in a stressful era and often don’t notice stress building up until it’s too late. The temptation to isolate can be hard to resist, and this allows many people to pursue their addiction in private. Support groups can be a key part of any successful relapse prevention effort.
Humans are social creatures, and addiction often takes away some of that humanity. It can fill the addicted person with shame and self-loathing. It can isolate people from their loved ones and keep them from doing things they enjoy.
In recovery, activities with other recovering people can be the glue that holds your new life together. Support groups—especially 12-step meetings—are a powerful way to manage stress and maintain emotional balance. The sense of fellowship, support, and camaraderie at meetings can lend stability to your life, even when everything else feels uncertain.
Even studies show that “people power” - the kind you discover when you’re at a 12-step meeting or recovery-related event - actually contributes to better outcomes for people in sobriety. Long-term research has shown that people who attend 12-step meetings regularly - up to three times a week or more - stay sober for much longer than those who don’t, often up to 16 years or more without a relapse.
Elena Stains[/caption]
Elena Stains
Medical Student
Department of Medical Education
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Scranton, PA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In 2019 to 2020, 2.5% of Americans reported using cannabis for medical needs, compared to 1.2% in 2013-2014, representing a 12.9% annual increase1. Forty states and the District of Columbia have legislation for some form of medical cannabis (MC) in 2024. Because MC is not federally legalized, each state creates its own legislation on the conditions that qualify a person for MC, without any standardized process to determine what qualifying conditions (QC) are proven to be aided by MC. Thus, the QCs chosen by states vary widely. Common QCs include cancer, dementia, and PTSD.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) published a report in 2017 on the evidence for the therapeutic effects of cannabis and cannabinoids for over twenty conditions2. This report reviews the evidence of effectiveness of medical cannabis for the most common QCs chosen by states. The researchers at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine aimed to compare the evidence found by the NAS report with the QCs of 38 states (including the District of Columbia) in both 2017 and 2024. QCs were categorized based on NAS-established level of evidence: limited, moderate, or substantial/conclusive evidence of effectiveness, limited evidence of ineffectiveness, or no/insufficient evidence to support or refute effectiveness (Table 1).
