Substance Abuse Treatment as it Is Related to Trauma
Research indicates that there is a strong correlation between people who have experienced trauma (whether in childhood or in adulthood) and substance abuse or dependency. Because patients who suffer from substance abuse are also highly likely to have experienced trauma in their lives, a trauma-focused care approach can be the best method of treating substance abuse patients because it emphasizes the underlying cause of the patient's stress, depression, and compulsion to abuse or develop a dependency upon harmful substances. Since attempting to treat patients with a substance use dependency can be include a range of interventions, it depends upon the therapist or counselor's training and preferred approach to counseling as to whether or not the patient receives the appropriate or most effective care. This study examines the research related to the issue of trauma and substance abuse treatment and concludes that trauma-focused care can help to address the underlying issue for patients who suffer from substance abuse.
Introduction
The topic of this research is the relationship between trauma and substance abuse treatment. Correlation has been noted between substance abuse and trauma victims: the relationship is one that has been studied by researchers seeking to understand what this connection means and how it can be treated (Ekinci, Kandemir, 2015). From children who experience trauma at a young age and grow up to abuse drugs or alcohol to adults who are traumatized from war or from abusive relationships, the theme is the same: people who have suffered a trauma in life tend to try to cope by self-medicating, a process which leads to substance abuse (Boden, Kimerling, Jacobs-Lentz, et al., 2011; Witkiewitz, Estrada, 2011; McDowell, Rodriguez, 2013; Ekinci, Kandemir, 2015). By understanding how trauma leads victims to abuse substances, therapists can better develop and implement appropriate treatments and interventions to mitigate the risk of substance abuse setting in.
Treatments for substance abuse range from pharmacotherapy to (Gifford, Tavakoli, Wang et al., 2013) to post-deployment education (for servicemen so that they can be better prepared to identify and seek treatment for PTSD) (Witkiewitz, Estrada, 2011). For substance abusers who have suffered trauma as children, psychiatric and psychological interventions are used (Ekinci, Kandemir, 2014).
The purpose of this paper will be to show how trauma-focused treatment can be applied to help address the underlying issue of trauma for substance abusers who have been impacted by it. This study will be useful for all
Treating substance abuse when it exists within comorbidity that includes trauma, the theme that emerges from the relevant research is that interventions which focus on the cognitive issues of the patient are most effective in addressing the problems of substance use dependency, as they seek to penetrate, understand, and orient the patient to the underlying causes while highlighting positive cognitive processes that can be utilized by the patient to help him or her overcome the obstacles preventing them from moving forward in a positive degree.
Research
McDowell and Rodriguez (2013) show that the relationship between trauma and substance abuse is such that one cannot effectively be treated without providing some form of intervention to address the other. For instance in patients being treated for trauma, substance abuse is a common problem that also needs to be addressed because otherwise it prevents positive outcomes from being obtained over the course of the trauma-focused treatment. The researchers found the cognitive processing therapy (CPT) worked effectively in both treatment of substance abuse and of trauma because it enabled the therapist and the patient to focus mindfully on the issues negatively impacting their lives: "Comorbid conditions are often believed to be harder to treat in terms of lower treatment response, attrition, or relapse of SUD [substance use disorders]. In this study, these problems were not observed, suggesting that trauma-focused treatment is effective and indicated for treatment of PTSD with comorbid SUD" (McDowell, Rodriguez, 2013, p. 362). By focusing on the trauma of the patient, the comorbid substance use dependency was also able to be treated effectively.
The study by Ekinci and Kandemir (2015) found that "childhood traumatic experiences increase the likelihood of psychiatric disorders like substance dependence" (p. 251) and that substance abuse patients "should routinely be examined" for evidence off childhood trauma. Their study supports the findings of the study by McDowell and Rodriguez in that finding the underlying causes of the substance abuse problem could provide a better understanding of the patient's issues and allow both patient and therapist to engage with a more appropriate intervention.
Giordano, Prosek, Stamman et al. (2016) note that in their study of 121 adult outpatients of a substance abuse treatment facility, 85.12% of them had experienced at least one traumatic event over the course of their lives (p. 55). Their study showed that trauma plays a major role in the lives of substance abusers and can be a viable focus for counselors tasked with treating patients with substance use dependency. As Giordano, Prosek, Stamman et al. (2016)…
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