Trauma & Substance Abuse

Trauma and Substance Use Disorders

Trauma is a common experience for people who seek addiction treatment. Research has also shown that unresolved trauma can be a major contributor to relapse.

Many people who have gone through a traumatic experience turn to self-medicating in an attempt to temporarily relieve the pain.

While this may work in the short term, the problem is that the underlying trauma remains unresolved. These behaviors often lead to unhealthy habits around substance use, which only make the pain worse in the long run and complicates life further.

Trauma-Informed Treatment for Addiction in Orange County

At Covenant Hills, we believe that working to address trauma is an important part of helping our clients recover. Our therapists work to provide a safe environment for our clients to identify and process underlying trauma, recognize the impact of past trauma in their present life, teach new adaptive ways to cope with trauma triggers, and build trauma resiliency skills.

In treatment settings, there’s a valuable contrast between treating the surface symptoms of trauma and addressing the traumatic experience at its root. Covenant Hills counselors view traumatic experiences as an opportunity to holistically heal a person struggling with addiction, to provide the highest chance to avoid relapse and maintain long-term sobriety.