Have you or someone whom you love suffered from sexual trauma or abuse at some point in your life? Have you also struggled with opiates or some other addiction? The sad fact is that you are not alone. These two problems are intertwined and often feed each other in a vicious cycle that can be hard, but thankfully not impossible, to break out of.
Substance addiction is, unfortunately, a common way that people try to deal with various kinds of trauma. It provides a means to dull harsh emotions, and may give the sufferer some feeling of control over their life—until they quickly realize that their use has become an addiction that has only lost them that precious amount of control that they still had.
Statistics back up these correlations between sexual trauma and substance abuse. For example:
A Vicious Cycle—And Breaking Out of It
- According to the “American Journal on Addictions,” of the women who enter treatment centers for addictions, 3 out of 4 report having been the victim of sexual abuse at some point in their lives.
- According to the “Journal of Traumatic Stress,” a disturbing 90 percent of women who have a dependence on alcohol report having been physically or sexually abused at a young age.
- Other research shows that not only childhood abuse, but abuse later in life, has a strong correlation with addiction.
Worst still, many statistics show that this correlation works both ways: not only are those who were sexually abused more likely to succumb to substance addiction, but those who are addicted are more likely to be abused. Their perceived need for more of their addiction puts people in a variety of situations where they can be taken advantage of, and generally requires them to interact with some very unscrupulous people who can quickly turn into abusers.
But fear not. It would be lying to say that moving past trauma and addiction are easy, especially when the two work in tandem, but it can be done. Many have managed it with love, support and a structured system to improve physical and mental well being—and you or your loved one can do it too.
So if you or somebody whom you know is struggling with addiction as a result of trauma, please contact us at the Seacrest Recovery Center for help at (800) 411-8019