Early Trauma Essay

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Early Trauma in Connection to Substance Abuse In recent decades, many empirical studies have established a link between participants’ exposure to traumatic events and future substance dependence. Instances of ____ all constitute traumatic experiences. In response to these experiences, some utilize substances to cope with the resulting distress (Giordano et al., 2016). In a study examining trauma exposure among adolescents in substance abuse treatment facilities, Culpepper (2016) found that 70% of adolescents receiving substance abuse treatment across the United States reported having a history of trauma in their lives. The researcher suggested that substance abuse was a response to the emotional pain caused by trauma, and an effort to …show more content…

Khantzian (2004) criticized the idea of trauma has a cause of addiction, arguing that addiction results from a combination of risk factors, and the reinforcing properties of substances. While this is a fair assertion, it is important to recognize the influence of trauma on the initiation of substance use, which can result in addiction. It has also been suggested that substance abuse among homeless men could be attributed to familial substance abuse, and peer normalization (Ahmadi, Tabatabaee, & Gozin, 2006). Thus, it is important to consider the influence of trauma on future addiction, but also take into account other environmental factors. This is especially relevant to the Edgewater homeless, as some of the characters were raised in environments in which drug abuse was …show more content…

While I can see how a regulated heroin prescription could reduce many of the societal issues that result from heroin addictions, it seems strange to me that simply providing these opioids to those who are chronically addicted was viewed as a solution to the problem. While I may not agree with the idea of prescription as a treatment for heroin addiction, after educating myself about the topic, I agree with the supposition that heroin-assisted treatment can be considered an effective approach to

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