(Me in the ICU several years ago after unhealed trauma & chronic illness hell led me to mix medications with alcohol to escape my suffering. I almost died. Again.)
I’ve spoken about this many times and it warrants saying again: addiction is unhealed trauma.
Sure, you’ll hear from addicts who deny a history of trauma and sometimes even experts will claim that unhealed trauma isn’t a main factor for most addicts, but I beg to differ.
I’ve found through my own experience and work with many others, that quite often, trauma that hasn’t been properly dealt with starts and exacerbates all types of addictions, from food to sex to alcohol to drugs to work and much more.
The problem is that many people don’t even realize that they’re suffering from unhealed traumas and deep rooted emotional wounds that have left their nervous systems on high alert, resulting in a need to self medicate to numb out or calm down.
My own tendency to cope through overeating started in my early years and just recently has eased up completely, along with the need to self medicate through alcohol. I used to use it to calm my body down when no holistic measures would work, I’d use it appear ‘ok’ when I didn’t feel so ok most of the time, and I certainly used it to push down the trauma. (No one wants to allow horrific flashbacks to pop up while trying to be intimate with your own husband. Alcohol was the obvious choice to keep those somatic horrors at bay.)
The trouble is that by using various addictive behaviors to cope, we only perpetuate the vicious cycle and don’t allow true healing.
It is only by acknowledging what we went through and how it affected us and our physiology, doing the work to heal those festering traumatic energies, and getting ourselves out of fight-or-flight, that we can watch our addictions finally dwindle.
The reason I know this is because I’m FINALLY free of addiction thanks to putting in the work to heal lifelong trauma that started in toddlerhood and facing and deconstructing the various triggers that resulted throughout my adulthood.
This one is important, folks, for anyone who is struggling to get clean and sober, or to stop working themselves to death or over-achieving in order to distract from their pain.
Addictions come in many different forms and it can be an incredible battle to win, but I can promise you that by facing and healing any unresolved trauma, you will be well on your way.
The first step is to acknowledge you might have some festering deep down and contributing to mood and relationship issues and tendency towards self medicating or overworking.
There is no shame in admitting that you need help and in fact, it takes great strength to do so. Believe me when I say in the end, it’s well worth the temporary vulnerability.
If this hit home for you or a loved one needs to see it, be sure to share it. It’s time we normalize getting help to heal trauma so that we have a chance to be free of addiction.
Take that first step and reach out to a trusted friend or a therapist. Your life is waiting. 🙏🏼
**Reach out to me at my life and health coaching practice website www.MegStoneWellness.com if you’d like to learn about the 1:1 services I offer to help you take back your power and reclaim your life and health. Subscribe here and follow Meg Stone Wellness on Facebook and Instagram for more free content on all things holistic health and spirituality. ❤️