The Underlying Cause: Why Addictive Behaviors Form, and How We Can Recover

When a young man is dealing with the struggles of growing up, often times it results from a series of traumatic events or circumstances that lead to the development of inadequate coping mechanisms. Whether it’s using substances, pornography, or the development of mental illness, there is a root cause of these troublesome trials of the human spirit. This is not to say that every person who deals with addictive behaviors had to have undergone a heavily traumatic experience. The first things that typically come to mind when one hears the word “trauma” are quite severe: sexual assault, death, war, overdose, abuse, and neglect among them. While all of those are traumatic, it does not have to be as drastic as those occurrences. 

What Is Trauma?

According to SAMSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions, trauma “results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening with lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.” As a result of the varied nature of trauma that can occur, it exists on a spectrum. With the Core Systems Model, there are 3 types that allow for the classification and treatment of trauma, as everyone is different and experiences the world through a different lens.

• Big T

Big T trauma is often the trauma that is most thought of when one hears the word. Catastrophic events, such as the death of a loved one, sexual abuse, physical abuse, a loved one’s cancer diagnosis, parents’ divorce, infidelity, abandonment, infertility, miscarriages, and other significant losses. This also comes with mutual respect for those who have experienced similar trauma, and minimization of those who have only experienced a little T trauma.

• Little T

The instances of little T trauma are much more nuanced than that of big T traumas. These can range from a coach berating a player to a disappointed parent, to an embarrassment that was experienced at school. Many young men experience these frequently in their upbringing, with the same negative neurological responses developing as those with big T trauma.

• Chronic T

Chronic T trauma is similar to little T but is defined by a 24/7 persistence of circumstances that breed negative thoughts and feelings. Examples are fear of a family member’s cancer returning or the presence of a coach that consistently yells at his players. Like little T traumas, these are often viewed as just parts of life, yet research shows that the effects of chronic T traumas resemble those of big T’s as well.

Trauma and The Brain

All along the spectrum of trauma, the neurological effects are exceptionally similar. When an adverse experience or trauma occurs, our brain kicks into a subconscious state that is known as the F-F-F response: Fight, flight, freeze. This almost primal instinct of nature is what is responsible for much of our survival instinct. If a potentially traumatic experience happens, the brain is hardwired to direct the body in a manner that minimizes physical and/or emotional harm. When something like this occurs, whether it is a bomb going off near a soldier, or a child being embarrassed in front of his classmates, the brain responds by trying to fight. If the fight response proves to be ineffective or viewed as an ineffective means of response, then the brain moves to flight. In a flight response, the individual now tries to escape from whatever is causing the distressing circumstance. As with fight, if that is not an effective means of escape, the body proceeds to freeze. The freeze stage of the F-F-F response can be likened to a clog in a pipe. After fight and flight responses have proven ineffective, the brain freezes, now stuck in a loop of fight/flight that can only be undone by completing the trauma cycle. Until healing occurs, wherever the trauma lies on the spectrum, the loop will likely never close. Nobody has ever died from embarrassments that occurred in 3rd grade, but many have been driven to destructive behaviors as a result of this never being addressed. When stuck in the fight/flight loop, it continues to process the world through an obscured lens, developing poor coping mechanisms for the adverse symptoms that arise. The resulting anxiety, depression, isolation, hypervigilance, pain or numbness, can and will make a person neurobiologically vulnerable to these compulsive and addictive behaviors. 

There is Hope

While an individual may be in dire straits as a result of their trauma, this can be turned into the touchstone for progress that would have been previously thought of as unthinkable. The greatest struggles can be turned into even greater assets through healing. Through a focused and direct set of therapies, there is hope to recover from this loop. Whether big, little or chronic T’s, examining our traumas and confronting them will lead to true freedom being felt. 

Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes, each worthy of receiving a quality means of healing. At Capstone Treatment Center, there is a team of therapists and a plethora of resources to help those with traumas recover. It’s what makes us one of the top-rated Christian trauma treatment centers in the nation. If you or a loved one are struggling, and think that an inpatient treatment program can help, call 855-956-2234 and find out if your needs meet the level of care provided at Capstone.