Undiagnosed trauma can lead to substance abuse, and unfortunately, it happens too often. Trauma affects our brains and our lives in ways we can't imagine. From the isolating devastation of a loved one’s suicide to the shared grief of a population under attack, trauma touches our lives in myriad ways, with each experience exacting a unique toll on those affected. One of the problems some undiagnosed trauma sufferers experience is substance abuse. People with undiagnosed trauma may turn to substance abuse to soothe their troubled minds. Why is this?

Overcoming trauma can be difficult to do on your own. For many people, the decision to enter residential treatment for help overcoming trauma can be difficult. However, ultimately, individuals often find that trauma treatment can be quite restorative. During the residential treatment process, healing from trauma does occur. Yet after residential treatment is complete, a person is faced with the prospect of leaving the treatment center and reentering their outside life. This can be a difficult adjustment, but it is possible to make the transition and continue the process of overcoming trauma.

New trauma treatments are so important because trauma can affect nearly anyone. It does not distinguish on the basis of age, race, education, socioeconomic status, or sex.1 In fact, this unpredictability is one of the principal elements of trauma that make it so powerful. Trauma invades a person’s life and violates his or her fundamental sense of security and safety. Thankfully, the majority of people who experience traumatic events do not develop acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or other trauma-related disorders. But for those who do, new trauma treatments are available.