The Link Between Trauma and Addictive Behaviors
Trauma and its long-lasting effects are major concerns in mental health care. More and more research is exploring the link between trauma and addictive behaviors, as understanding this connection can lead to more effective treatment.
At Ballast Health and Wellness, we specialize in trauma-informed therapy for adolescents, young adults, and neurodivergent clients. While we do not treat substance-use disorders directly, we often help clients who have trauma histories and connect them with appropriate referral partners when their use becomes unsafe.
In this article, we break down what research shows about the link between trauma and addictive behaviors, how this connection develops, and how trauma-informed therapy supports healing.
“Trauma is different from everyday stress. It disrupts a person’s sense of safety, identity, and ability to regulate emotions.”
What Is Trauma?
Trauma is an overwhelming emotional response to events that feel harmful or life-threatening. These experiences may include:
abuse or neglect
violence or assault
accidents or sudden loss
discrimination or bullying
Trauma is different from everyday stress. It disrupts a person’s sense of safety, identity, and ability to regulate emotions. When trauma happens early in life, it can change how the brain grows, increase sensitivity to stress, and make coping harder.
These long-term effects help explain why the link between trauma and addictive behaviors is so strong.
The Link Between Trauma and Addictive Behaviors: What Research Shows
Many studies confirm a strong relationship between trauma and the development of addictive behaviors. For example:
People with histories of interpersonal trauma (sexual assault, physical assault, combat) are more likely to develop substance-use disorders or behavioral addictions.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that trauma and long-term stress change brain circuits involved in reward, motivation, stress response, and impulse control—the same circuits involved in addiction.
Not everyone who experiences trauma develops an addiction. But trauma significantly increases the risk, and this risk is especially important to understand in clinical practice.
How Trauma Can Lead to Addictive Behaviors
Several pathways help explain how trauma increases vulnerability to addictive patterns. These include:
1. Disrupted Stress-Response Systems
Trauma can alter how the body responds to stress. People may feel constantly on edge or emotionally numb. Substances or compulsive behaviors may be used to temporarily feel calmer or more “in control.”
2. Changes in the Brain’s Reward and Impulse Systems
According to NIDA, severe or long-lasting stress can:
increase cravings
reduce impulse control
make reward-seeking behaviors more intense
This helps explain the link between trauma and addictive behaviors on a neurological level.
3. Difficulty with Emotion Regulation
Trauma survivors often struggle with intense emotions—fear, shame, anger, sadness—or feel disconnected from their feelings entirely. Addictive behaviors may serve as a way to escape or numb these painful emotions.
4. Early Life Experiences and Attachment
Childhood experiences shape how we relate to others and how we understand ourselves. Insecure attachment, dissociation, and poor emotional skills increase vulnerability to addictive behaviors and often explain how trauma leads to maladaptive coping.
These pathways show that the link between trauma and addictive behaviors is complex but understandable—and highly relevant in therapy.
Why Understanding This Link Matters in Clinical Practice
Because the link between trauma and addictive behaviors is so well supported by research, trauma-informed care is essential.
At Ballast Health and Wellness:
We focus on trauma, anxiety, depression, and neurodivergent needs (ADHD, Autism Level 1).
We do not provide primary substance-use treatment.
We actively screen for misuse and refer clients to trusted addiction specialists when needed.
Key trauma-informed practices include:
Screening for Trauma and Addictive Behaviors
Clinicians should screen for trauma exposure and substance use because these two issues influence each other.
Early Intervention for Emerging Misuse
When addictive behaviors are in their early stages, addressing trauma and building emotional-regulation skills can prevent escalation.
Strong Referral Networks
When misuse becomes a substance-use disorder, specialized treatment is needed. We maintain referral partners to support clients with higher-level needs.
Psychoeducation and Empowerment
Helping clients understand the link between trauma and addictive behaviors reduces shame and supports healthier coping.
Focusing on Strengths and Resilience
Trauma-informed care highlights choice, voice, empowerment, and growth—not just symptoms.
Why This Matters for Adolescents and Young Adults
Because our practice works primarily with teens and young adults, this connection is especially important.
Young people are in critical stages of identity formation, emotional regulation, and independence. When trauma is present—such as bullying, family conflict, discrimination, or neurodivergent stress—they may be more vulnerable to:
self-medication
impulsive decision-making
escapism through substances or behaviors
Research from NIDA shows that early trauma significantly increases the risk of later substance-use disorders. Early, trauma-informed support can interrupt this pathway.
Our adventure therapy programs and neurodivergent-affirming services help young people rebuild trust in their bodies, their environment, and their relationships—buffering the risk of developing addictive patterns.
Healing Through a Trauma-Informed Approach
Understanding the link between trauma and addictive behaviors also points to clear, hopeful paths toward healing. Trauma-informed care includes:
Creating physical and emotional safety
Building trust and collaboration
Supporting emotion regulation through mindfulness, grounding, and somatic awareness
Using evidence-based trauma therapies like EMDR, trauma-focused CBT, or Internal Family Systems
Strengthening relationships, identity, and developmental skills
Coordinating referrals when substance-use treatment is needed
Trauma treatment can reduce the risk of addictive behaviors by addressing the root causes.
Final Thoughts
Research clearly shows a strong and multifaceted link between trauma and addictive behaviors. Trauma affects stress responses, emotional regulation, reward pathways, and coping strategies. Understanding this link helps us offer compassionate, effective, and trauma-informed care.
At Ballast Health and Wellness, we help adolescents, young adults, and neurodivergent clients build resilience, regulate trauma responses, and access the right level of care. While we do not provide primary substance-use treatment, we work closely with referral partners to ensure clients receive the support they need.
If you’re starting to notice how trauma may be showing up in your life—through anxiety, depression, emotional overwhelm, neurodivergent stress, or early patterns of misuse—you don’t have to navigate this alone. Trauma-informed care can help you heal at the root and reduce the risk of addictive behaviors before they take hold.
