Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be a gateway to addiction and substance abuse. Knowing the signs and how substance use can become a problem is key to understanding how to avoid addiction. Treating PTSD PTSD can cause some physical and mental effects on the body such as hyper-vigilance, physical reactions to reminders of trauma, or symptoms of anxiety and depression. These signs and symptoms can be treated, and sometimes include conventional medication along with therapy or rehab.

Substance abuse not only affects the abuser, but also those closest to them. Children of parents who struggle with opioid addiction can be the most susceptible to addiction later on.

Are Opioids Prescribed for PTSD? Opioid use is a controversial struggle in the healthcare world. While opioids provide relief from chronic pain and the harmful effects of disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), opioids can be highly addictive and cause problems later on. You may be wondering, are these drugs safe to use? Let’s take a look at some of the facts regarding opioid prescriptions for PTSD. What are Opioids? Physicians primarily prescribe opioids to treat chronic...

While opioids and alcohol get a lot of the attention when it comes to addiction problems, and rightfully so, there are still other drugs of abuse causing harm and leading to death. Cocaine remains the third-most prevalent drug of abuse in the United States and in 2012, over 1 million U.S. adults met the criteria for cocaine dependence or abuse . Research has also found that there is an overlap between cocaine use and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, up to 43% of cocaine user s...

Oftentimes, addiction is a result of mental health disorders and trauma, especially trauma that occurs at a young age or during childhood. Despite this, not all drug and alcohol treatment centers offer treatment that help with mental health disorders ; however, many luxury rehab facilities can help with this . This type of treatment, referred to as dual diagnosis treatment to help with both mental health and addiction , is vital to helping people truly overcome addiction issues. For those...

Trauma is persistent. It is something that can continue to impact someone’s like months, years, even decades, after the inciting event occurs , this is often referred to as post-traumatic experience disorder (PTSD) . The trauma that occurs often leads to other major physical and mental health problems that can take hold and l inger throughout life. One of the major problems associated with trauma, especially childhood trauma , is addiction and substance abuse problems. What Is Somatic...

Election day is full of shock, awe, and surprise. One of the many surprises this year comes out of the state of Oregon where Oregonians voted to decriminalize the possession of street drugs including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and more. Measure 110 in Oregon passed by a wide margin as the votes are continuing to come in. While selling and manufacturing these substances remains illegal, the possession of small amounts of these drugs will now only result in a fine, like a traffic...

While opioids are not prescribed for people with PTSD or trauma problems, individuals with these problems can still suffer the consequences of opioid abuse as the opioid epidemic has made these drugs easily available. As we know, traumatic experiences can come in many different forms at many different ages. Problems such as sexual assault, exposure to addiction, physical assault, and more can all have a major impact on someone’s psyche throughout their life. It can lead to deep-rooted...

ACEs has shown us that checking “yes” to certain boxes puts at a higher risk of major health consequen ces , b u t , for substance abuse specifically, what warning signs are there for children and young adults? Childhood maltreatment may be a good place to start as it encompasses numerous problems. As many as two-thirds of people in al cohol and drug abuse treatment report they were physically, sexually, or emotionally abused during childhood – all of which are considered various forms of...

ACEs Connection is a great resource for pooling knowledge – there are experts here across many fields including psychology, social work, and addiction. With so many experts on substance abuse and addiction, we want to know: w hat makes an addiction rehab ‘ the best ’ ? I work for The Hope House , a drug and alcohol recovery center recently named one of the best rehabs in Scottsdale , Arizona, according to Expertise . We are honored to be recognized for this and we firmly believe we are an...

One of the questions on the ACEs quiz is: Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic, or who used street drugs? Addiction is a major problem in the United States. In fact, about 10% of U.S. adults will deal with drug use disorder at some point. Meanwhile, nearly one-third of adults will meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder at some point in their lives. But, how exactly does early childhood exposure to alcoholism or drug use affects the individual and why is it...

Approximately half of all individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorder also meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. See how the two diagnoses can become dangerously intertwined and how it can be treated.