Addiction is often discussed in terms of environment, genetics, and chemical dependency, but the role of trauma in the development of addiction cannot be overstated.
Trauma and addiction can be deeply interconnected, creating a complex web that can be difficult to untangle. For individuals recovering from substance use disorder (SUD), it’s often impossible to address addiction without acknowledging the trauma that underpins it. At the same time, it’s impossible to heal from trauma while in active addiction.
“In many cases, substance use functions as a coping mechanism to deal with the emotional and psychological scars left by traumatic experiences,” explains Kelly Kulp, MA, a clinician who leads trauma-informed SUD group therapy sessions in ETHOS’s Wyomissing location.
Many who struggle with addiction describe the need to “numb the pain” or escape from the overwhelming emotions and memories triggered by past trauma. Substances like alcohol, opioids, or stimulants provide an illusion of control, comfort, or euphoria. Over time, however, the reliance on these substances to cope with trauma becomes a cycle of dependency, where the original trauma remains unresolved, and addiction creates new layers of emotional and physical suffering.
“Unfortunately, excessive or compulsive substance use itself often leads to risky behaviors that can end up traumatizing and retraumatizing the user while also worsening feelings of guilt and shame. Untreated, this mix of addiction and trauma will continue to spiral.”
What Qualifies as Trauma?
There are some types of trauma that everyone immediately recognizes as damaging to one’s sense of security and safety, such as sexual assault, physical abuse, neglect, a near-death experience, natural disaster, sexual abuse, domestic violence, combat, surviving war, a severe accident, kidnapping, being threatened with weapons and violence, psychological abuse, and the death of a parent, sibling, or child.
But there are many other traumatic situations that can cause significant, lasting emotional harm, including bullying, sexual harassment, a bad breakup, caregiving for a dying loved one, witnessing violence or death, divorce, community and school violence, loss of a job, religious abuse, loss of a close friendship, expulsion or alienation from a community or peer group, infidelity, and acute and chronic illness.
“It’s very common for people not to recognize the profound traumas in their lives,” says Kulp. “They may have normalized it, underestimated its impact, or simply feel that it wasn’t ‘big enough’ to qualify as trauma. Everyone places different weight on different experiences and being affected by trauma is in no way a sign of weakness. In fact, reaching out for help is one of the strongest, bravest things you can do.”
The Harm of Treating Symptoms Instead of Causes
Traditional addiction treatment models often focus on addressing the immediate symptoms of addiction, such as detoxification and abstinence. While these approaches are critical early in the recovery process, they frequently fail to address the underlying trauma that fuels addiction in the first place. Without dealing with the root cause, individuals are more likely to relapse or develop new addictive behaviors to manage unresolved trauma.
The Power of Group Therapy
ETHOS’s effective Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) uses a proven combination of individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy.
“Group therapy can be especially effective for processing trauma,” says Kulp. “It can be a safe, supportive environment to share experiences and emotions with others who can empathize. This can help people feel less isolated and more understood. They also learn a lot from each other — hearing about others’ coping mechanisms and progress can provide new perspectives and strategies for managing trauma. It can be empowering to witness others’ recovery, which can inspire hope and motivation in one’s own healing journey. It can also be incredibly illuminating and validating to make the connections between others’ experiences, reactions, and struggles, and your own.”
Both SUD and trauma can lead to isolation or withdrawal from social relationships. Group therapy helps participants reconnect with others, fostering the sense of community, belonging, and purpose that humans require in order to heal and thrive. The act of collaboration and helping others can also be very healing and confidence-boosting.
A Trauma-Informed Model of Treatment
Healing trauma and SUD concurrently maximizes the potential for long-term success and sustainable sobriety.
To start or continue your journey to recovery or to learn more about ETHOS’s substance use disorder program, visit www.ethostreatment.com/contact.
With most states legalizing marijuana/cannabis for recreational or medicinal use, overall attitudes about the substance have softened. However, it’s important that parents not overlook the potential dangers and long-lasting effects the drug can have on their adolescent children.
In fact, recent research by scientists at the University of Montreal has shown that marijuana may be more harmful to teenagers’ brains than alcohol.
The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, showed that regular marijuana use during adolescence can have long-lasting effects on a teenager’s thinking and cognitive abilities.
Over 3,800 teens from 31 schools reported their marijuana and alcohol use annually, starting at age 13. They completed computer-based tests to assess their memory, reasoning, and cognitive control. In general, teens who reported marijuana use performed worse than those who did not.
More alarming, even after students reported stopping marijuana use, their cognition did not improve.
The University of Montreal study isn’t the first research to suggest that marijuana can be detrimental to the developing teenage brain. When University of Pennsylvania scientists analyzed 69 studies involving younger cannabis users, they found teenagers and young adults who used marijuana frequently were more likely to have slightly lower scores when tested for memory, problem-solving, information processing, and the ability to learn new information when compared to non-users.
Another study, led by researchers from the University of Toronto, found an 11 times higher risk of developing a psychotic disorder among teenagers who used cannabis compared with those who did not. When the analysis was limited to just emergency room visits and hospitalizations, there was a 27-fold increase in psychotic disorders in teenagers who had used the drug.
As a parent, being aware of these risks is crucial for supporting your child’s health and development.
Yes, Cannabis Can Be Addictive
Contrary to popular belief, people can and do become dependent on cannabis. And as the above studies have shown, habitual use can have long-lasting negative effects on teenagers’ still-developing brains.
Cannabis dependence, often referred to as cannabis addiction, is a condition where using cannabis (marijuana) leads to significant problems in a person’s life. According to medical guidelines, this happens when a person experiences at least three of the following issues within a year:
Increased Tolerance: Needing to use more cannabis to get the same effect, or finding that the usual amount has less effect over time.
Withdrawal Symptoms: Feeling withdrawal symptoms when not using cannabis, or using it to avoid these symptoms.
Using More Than Intended: Taking cannabis in larger amounts or for a longer time than planned.
Difficulty Cutting Down: Wanting to reduce cannabis use but struggling to do so.
Time Spent on Cannabis: Spending a lot of time obtaining, using, or recovering from cannabis.
Impact on Life: Giving up important activities or hobbies because of cannabis use.
Continuing Despite Problems: Using cannabis despite knowing it’s causing or worsening physical or mental health issues.
A Comprehensive Approach to Recovery
If you or someone you know is facing these challenges with cannabis, it’s important to seek help from a healthcare professional.
ETHOS’s Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) for adolescents focus on teens, ages 13-18, who have a substance use disorder or a mental health concern in conjunction with a substance use disorder. To learn more about ETHOS’s substance use disorder program, visit https://www.ethostreatment.com/contact.
In addiction recovery, the concept of “people, places, and things” is pivotal for maintaining sobriety and achieving long-term success.
“In active addiction, individuals become conditioned to associate certain stimuli (people, places, and things) with the substance and the rewarding effects it produces,” explains ETHOS Treatment Clinician Allyson Andrisani, MS, BSRN. “This conditioning creates triggers that can induce cravings when encountered. For example, a person might have often used drugs when tailgating at games. That person’s brain is now conditioned to associate the sights, smells, and sounds of a stadium parking lot with a reward — the feeling of getting high. Just walking through the lot can produce a powerful craving because, over time, the brain has been trained to expect that reward whenever it’s in that ‘place.’”
Andrisani, who runs small group sessions in Ethos’s Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for substance use disorder, helps people in recovery understand and navigate these triggers.
Coping Strategies
Some triggers are easy to avoid, while others must be handled in other ways. “Avoidance alone is not always possible or practical, especially with triggers that are integral to one’s daily life,” says Andrisani. “You can change your commute to bypass a liquor store, delete a dealer’s number, and skip a music festival, but you must establish boundaries and develop coping skills to mitigate conditioning associated with family members, co-workers, places within your home, and other stimuli you can’t steer clear of.”
Adopting new behaviors in previously triggering situations can help rewire the brain and reduce cravings over time.
“If someone routinely drank at the kitchen table, their brain is conditioned to anticipate a reward when they sit down — or even when they walk into the room,” she says. “To disrupt the conditioning, they can change their perspective and the environment by sitting in a different chair, changing the art on the wall, and getting a new table. Another example would be, if you are used to cracking open a beer at 5 p.m., you can go for a daily walk at that time instead.”
Ultimately, the brain will gradually learn that the presence of the trigger does not lead to the expected reward, thereby reducing the emotional response to the trigger and decreasing the craving over time.
The Power of Group Therapy
Developing strategies to handle interactions with unavoidable people is an important part of early recovery. “In our group therapy sessions, we talk a lot about ways to cope with people who may not understand what you’re going through or who don’t support the positive changes you are making in your life.”
Working in a group setting — in addition to one-on-one therapy — can be a crucial part of successful recovery. Group therapy offers peer support, shared experiences, and mutual encouragement, which can be more effective than individual therapy alone.
“There’s a sort of magic that happens in group settings,” says Andrisani. “People who are going through this journey at the same time can teach each other and learn from each other. They get positive reinforcement while providing support to others. They are creating a safe place for honest accountability and reaping the benefits of that accountability. This collective experience fosters a sense of community at a time when it’s needed the most.”
A Comprehensive Approach to Recovery
The process of recovery is complex and requires a comprehensive approach. ETHOS’s Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for substance use disorder combines individual counseling, and small group and family therapy to maximize the potential for long-term, sustainable recovery. To start or continue your journey to recovery, or to learn more about ETHOS’s substance use disorder program, visit https://www.ethostreatment.com/contact.
As gambling has become increasingly legal and accessible over the past several years, we’ve seen a rise in the number of people struggling with gambling disorder issues. Online platforms and mobile apps have made sports betting more prevalent than ever, allowing people to place wagers from the comfort of their homes and even during live sporting events.
However, this convenience comes at a significant cost. In the five years that New Jersey legalized online sports gambling, calls to the NJ Problem Gambling Hotline tripled. The largest demographic affected was 25 to 34-year-old men.
Harry Levant, MA, ICGC-I, an ETHOS clinician had the opportunity to speak on 60 Minutes about online sports betting. He said, “This is a public health emergency. I have patients who gamble in the shower, I have patients who gamble when they get out of bed in the morning. I have patients who gamble when they are driving.’’
When asked where these individuals are getting the money to gamble, he said, “I have young patients who have gambled away federal student loan money and inheritances.”
To address this growing issue, Levant leads a new Adult Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) to assist those with gambling disorders. The in-person program is held during the day at our Broomall location, and in the evening in Jenkintown. Both sessions are available via Telehealth to allow individuals to attend from a distance.
“One of every two people struggling with gambling disorder will experience suicidal thoughts. Gambling disorder typically presents with other co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder problems and can cause devastating harm to people and families. The good news is that help is available and, with appropriate treatment, recovery is possible.
Help is available at ETHOS, if you or a loved one is struggling with gambling addiction. To learn more about ETHOS Treatment, visit https://www.ethostreatment.com/ or call 267-669-0300 today!
Hear more from Harry who has been interviewed by high-profile outlets including:
Mental Health Awareness Month is observed each year in May to raise awareness, promote understanding, and break the stigma around mental illness. It serves as a platform to educate the public about various mental health conditions, symptoms, and available resources for support and treatment.
Why Recognize Mental Health Awareness Month?
Reducing Stigma: The stigma around mental health remains a significant barrier to seeking help and accessing treatment. By dedicating a month to raising awareness, we can challenge stereotypes and misconceptions, encouraging open dialogue and acceptance.
Promoting Understanding: Mental Health Awareness Month provides an opportunity to educate the public about various mental health conditions, their symptoms, and available resources. Increased understanding fosters empathy and support for individuals living with mental illness.
Encouraging Help-Seeking Behavior: Many individuals hesitate to seek help for mental health concerns due to fear of judgment or misunderstanding. By normalizing conversations about mental health, we can encourage people to seek support when needed, ultimately improving outcomes and well-being.
Supporting Those Affected: For individuals living with mental illness and their loved ones, Mental Health Awareness Month serves as a reminder that they are not alone. It offers a platform for sharing stories, accessing support networks, and advocating for better mental health services and policies.
Prevention and Early Intervention: Increasing awareness of mental health issues can help identify warning signs early and promote preventive measures, encouraging early intervention and proactive approaches to mental health.
“At ETHOS, we tailor every treatment plan to meet the individual’s unique circumstances, fostering a more supportive and understanding environment, which is essential to breaking the stigma around mental health,” said Will Wraith, a marketing representative with ETHOS. Jackie Perez, also a marketing representative with ETHOS added, “By offering personalized treatment plans and a supportive environment, ETHOS hopes to break the stigma and encourage individuals to seek the help they need, when they need it.”
How ETHOS Addresses Mental Health
At ETHOS we believe you are a person, not a diagnosis. Everyone is a unique individual with evolving needs. Our clinical team develops a treatment plan that meets you where you are, revisiting and adjusting the plan as your needs change. This helps reduce the stigma and foster a more supportive and understanding environment for those dealing with mental health challenges.
Start Your Journey to Recovery with ETHOS
If you’re ready to embark on your journey to improve mental health, ETHOS Treatment LLC is here to support you every step of the way. With seven convenient locations and telehealth services, ETHOS offers intensive outpatient programs designed to empower individuals to reclaim their lives and achieve lasting well-being.
Our holistic care and personalized treatment plans combine individual counseling, small group therapy, and family therapy to maximize the potential for long-term, sustainable recovery. With 33 programs tailored to diverse needs, there is something for everyone at ETHOS.
Parenting is a challenging journey, and when you discover that your child is struggling with substance use disorder, the difficulty of the path can feel overwhelming. In these complex times, it can be incredibly beneficial to turn to the wisdom found in “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. These four simple yet profound principles can serve as a guide for parents dealing with kids facing substance use disorders. In this blog, we’ll explore how applying these principles can help you navigate this complex and emotionally charged situation.
Agreement 1: Be Impeccable with Your Word
The first agreement emphasizes the importance of speaking with integrity, being honest, and avoiding harmful or hurtful language. In the context of parenting a child with substance use disorder, being impeccable with your word means maintaining open and honest communication. Here’s how to apply this principle:
Non-judgmental Communication: Engage in conversations with your child and loved one without judgment. Avoid criticism, blame, or shaming. Instead, express your concerns and love while listening to their perspective. Inviting language.
Clearly communicate the boundaries you expect your child to follow. This helps establish a sense of structure and accountability. Ensure that your rules are reasonable and realistic. Speak out about
The Power of vulnerability – for yourself and others. To not be afraid to tell your story to your people and your tribe.
Speaking our truth can be the end of isolation, isolation is at the core of addiction and mental health issues
Finding a safe place to share your truth making sure you have the safe, right audience to share, non-judgmental group
Being able to speak with integrity with meaning and less reaction.
How we speak to ourselves and our own self narrative – Don’t be so hard on yourself
Intentional with your word- think about what you are saying as people are listening
Mindful of the impact of your word
Agreement 2: Don’t Take Anything Personally
When dealing with a child struggling with substance use disorder, it’s essential not to take their actions personally. Their behavior is often a manifestation of their own struggles and not a reflection of your parenting skills. Here’s how to implement this agreement:
Self-Reflection: Understand that you are not responsible for your child’s choices and actions. Self-blame can be counterproductive. Instead, focus on supporting them through their journey.
Empathy and Compassion: Practice empathy and compassion towards your child. Recognize that they are facing a challenging battle, and your support can make a significant difference in their recovery.
Be curious, ask questions and explore what is someone’s motive, perspective and insights.
Seek Support: Connect with support groups or therapy for yourself. Dealing with a loved one’s substance use disorder can take a toll on your emotional well-being. Reaching out for help, professionally as well with peer parent support can provide you with the strength to continue supporting your child.
Agreement 3: Don’t Make Assumptions
Assumptions can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. To effectively support your child through their substance use disorder, practice the third agreement:
Ask Questions: Check things out, Rather than assuming you know what your child or loved one is going through, ask them about their experiences and feelings. This can help you gain insight into their world.
Gather Information: Educate yourself about substance use disorder, its causes, and treatment options. By doing so, you can have informed discussions and make better decisions for your child’s well-being.
Collaborate with Professionals: Avoid making assumptions about the best course of action. Instead, consult with addiction specialists, counselors, and medical professionals to develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
Not knowing, being humble allows for someone to reach out and review their truths.
Agreement 4: Always Do Your Best
Parenting a child with substance use disorder is undoubtedly challenging, but always doing your best is crucial for both your child and yourself:
Continuous Learning: Stay informed about the latest research and treatments related to substance use disorder. This demonstrates your commitment to helping your child.
Self-Care: Remember that you can’t support your child effectively if you neglect your own well-being. Prioritize self-care, including adequate rest, nutrition, and stress management. Self-inventory, HALTS, Your best will change any given day
Celebrate Progress: Recognize and celebrate even the smallest steps of progress in your child’s recovery journey. Encouragement can be a powerful motivator.
An acceptance of where you are on the journey
Allowing yourself to be where you are, maybe you are at 50% capacity.
Conclusion
Looking at the system, not just the symptoms. Applying the principles of “The Four Agreements” in your parenting, you can provide the support and guidance you need. Be impeccable with your word, avoid taking things personally, don’t make assumptions, and always do your best. Remember that your unwavering love and commitment can make a significant difference in your child’s path to recovery. Seek support when needed and be patient, find pause as healing takes time and effort for both you and your child. Collaboration, connection and community are invaluable tools in decreasing addiction symptoms, as well breaks isolation at it’s core. The four agreements can be a path to hope and healing if you can have an open mind. A. Michael B.
