Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Drinking Alcohol and Smoking Weed
Experiencing a traumatic event is one of the main reasons people overuse alcohol or weed. Sometime people are unsure if their experiences count as traumatic, but a trauma is basically an intense, overwhelming emotional event that continues to affect you on a daily basis, even long after the event has ended. It can be as major as a car accident or as seemingly everyday as being perpetually mistreated at work.
After being traumatized you may feel scared, edgy, angry, or helpless. Many people find their minds return over and over to the upsetting memory, have nightmares about the event or dream they are in danger, and feel detached from anything that requires emotional reactions like conversations and relationships. In addition, you may begin to feel despair about humanity or begin to question life’s fairness, safety, and overall goodness of other people.
According to American Addiction Center's research, close to 65% of people with posttraumatic stress (PTSD) will develop a substance use disorder. I have worked with many people whose alcohol or drug use was mild before they experienced a trauma, and then they turned to substances more frequently to help dull the intense feelings and effects of trauma, providing some much-needed relief. For example, drinking and/or smoking helped them feel less anxious and irritable, helped with sleep, and decreased obsessive thinking.
Alcohol or drugs can provide temporary distraction and relief. However, they ultimately can be harmful. Drinking and smoking decrease your ability to concentrate, to be productive at work and in life, to sleep restfully, and to cope with traumatic memories and external stressors. They can actually increase emotional numbing, social isolation, anger and irritability, depression, and the feeling of needing to be on guard (hypervigilance). Physical health problems are also a concern with a greater risk for diabetes, heart and liver disease.
Using substances may also prevent you from dealing with the trauma in a healthier way. For example, talking to close friends and family may boost your mood and decrease isolation. Getting involved in your community or reengaging with activities you enjoy could provide you with healthier distractions and help you feel connected to the world around you. Eating well and exercising can also make a major difference in managing your mood.
Individual therapy for trauma and substance abuse focuses on more effective ways to deal with your pain. My goal is to help you manage your trauma symptoms so that substance use is not necessary. We will process the trauma in a safe way and help you learn ways to pay attention to the present moment and become a neutral observer of your triggers (such as a memory or flashback). I will help you learn ways to identify and handle intense emotions and empower you to practice emotional self-regulation. We will also learn to navigate social encounters more successfully by maintaining healthier interpersonal boundaries.
If you would like to learn more about how your past is impacting your substance use please reach out.
