There are innumerable factors that can contribute to or exacerbate an existing addiction or even influence its conception. It’s easy to feel entirely at fault when you’re caught in the grips of a substance abuse disorder, but you should try to treat yourself with kindness. Everyone makes the wrong choice sometimes, and there may be contributing factors influencing your addiction that are outside of your control. Addressing possible mental health conditions is an excellent step toward getting the help you need. A PTSD treatment program, for example, could hold the key to sobriety that’s evaded you for so long.
At Oceanfront Recovery, located in beautiful Laguna Beach, we understand the importance of dual diagnosis treatment. When addiction is treated by itself, without looking at other contributing factors, there’s a good chance that you’re only seeing half the equation. With Oceanfront by your side, you’ll be able to find the root causes of your substance abuse disorder and work toward not only sobriety but overall mental wellness. If you’ve completed traditional rehab programs before but found that sobriety won’t stick, it may be time to try a new approach. Call us today at 877.279.1777 for more information on how Oceanfront Recovery can help.
Trauma and Addiction
Many professionals have found evidence to suggest that experiencing trauma, especially as a child, will increase the risk factor an adult has for developing addictions. Trauma can disrupt how your brain functions and communicates with your body, which can affect your mental health and your overall behavior. Traumatic events can leave a lasting impact on children. When that trauma is never properly addressed by a professional, the adult may look for ways to self-medicate, leading to addiction.
Many different kinds of trauma can contribute to a future substance dependency, and every person processes their trauma in different ways. Some types of trauma that can affect substance abuse include:
- Physical assault or robbery
- Sexual assault, including molestation and rape
- Domestic violence, either experienced or witnessed in childhood
- Bullying or harassment at school or online
- A terminal illness affecting a parent or loved one
- Emergency accidents and natural disasters like floods, car crashes, and fires
- Parental neglect or emotional abuse
What is a Dual Diagnosis?
When someone has a dual diagnosis, this usually means that they are diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder and another mental illness. These conditions can often be found coexisting, and they can affect each other in many different ways. It may be that a mental illness drives you to use more often or that the substance use exacerbates the symptoms of another mental illness.
When someone has a dual diagnosis, it’s important to treat both simultaneously. If you treat only the substance abuse, the co-occurring disorder may make relapse more likely. The most common co-occurring disorders alongside substance abuse include generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder. Still, any mental disorder can be a co-occurring disorder if substance abuse has become a mainstay in your life.
Find PTSD Treatment with Oceanfront Recovery
Trauma and addiction may go hand-in-hand, but that means that we can treat them that way too. At Oceanfront Recovery, we operate one of the top dual diagnosis treatment centers in Orange County. We know that our patients are in the best possible hands, from our comfortable amenities and compassionate staff to our picturesque location and hands-on aftercare programs. If you think that a co-occurring disorder may be keeping sobriety out of your reach, you don’t have to keep stretching alone. Call us today at 877.279.1777 to discover how Oceanfront Recovery can help.
