Many people who develop a substance use disorder end up there because they use drugs and alcohol to mask underlying feelings. They may be trying to repress past trauma memories and resulting emotions like shame, guilt, and fear. Having trauma-informed care included in a treatment plan for addiction can help those with untreated PTSD learn how to manage those emotions while remaining sober. Northern Illinois Recovery Center’s counselors and therapists are experienced with trauma-informed care.
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What is Trauma?
Trauma is an emotional response people have to a life-threatening or terrible event like a car accident or being caught up in a natural disaster. You can also develop trauma from ongoing physical and emotional abuse. A lot of people go into a stare of shock afterward. Longer-term effects of trauma can include:
- Flashbacks to the event(s)
- Problems maintaining relationships
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Lack of appetite
- Inability to concentrate
Individuals dealing with unresolved trauma often drink or take drugs to mask those emotions. Addressing those problems during addiction treatment at a center like Northern Illinois Recovery can raise the chances of a client having a positive outcome at the end of their program.
3 Benefits of Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is typically based on the tenets of respect, understanding the connection between substance use and trauma, and include friends and family to help show them how to empower and support the individual. Those who engage with trauma-informed care usually experience the following benefits:
- Clients Gain a Better Understanding of Their Addiction: Many people with an addiction have difficulty explaining why they started using drugs or alcohol. Some may have gotten created by using the substances on a recreational basis. Realizing that drugs and alcohol provided a break from dark thoughts or emotions plaguing them can often drive people to continue using. It can get to a point where they are unable to function without these substances. Trauma-informed care helps clients become more proactive about protecting their space. They learn how to build a safe environment for themselves so they cannot be exposed to behaviors or situations that could threaten their recovery.
- Clients Learn Coping Skills That Help Keep Them Sober: Substance abuse can be an easy way of avoiding the emotional turbulence of addressing past trauma. Trauma-informed care helps clients dig into what is behind the thoughts and feelings they try and bury. Once they build the courage to confront those past events, they can start learning techniques that help them manage their emotions more positively. Clients learn to recognize potential triggers that could bring up the emotions that led to drug and alcohol abuse. The education they receive in counseling can help clients find more effective ways of navigating complicated feelings that can arise without jeopardizing their recovery.
- Clients Gain Accesses to Resources for Continuing Care: Clients receiving trauma-informed care at Northern Illinois Recovery Center are provided with resources to help them work toward recovery. They can choose to connect with the Alumni network or continue getting outpatient treatment as they ease their way back into regular life. Having those resources available can be critical to helping clients avoid situations that could lead to additional trauma and relapse potential.
Receive Trauma-Informed Care at Northern Illinois Recovery Center
Once you decide that you’re ready to confront your addiction and trauma issues head-on, Northern Illinois Recovery Center’s programs and services can help you build a strong recovery foundation. Our addiction treatment programs include:
- Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
- Telehealth Rehab Program
- 12 Step Program
Start the work of changing your life today by calling Northern Illinois Recovery Center at 855.786.1978.
Licensed Physician and Surgeon
Dr. Beth Dunlap, a board-certified addiction medicine and family medicine physician, and is the medical director at Northern Illinois Recovery Center. She is responsible for overseeing all the integrated medical services at both campuses. Beth completed medical school, residency, and fellowship at Northwestern University, where she continues to serve on the faculty as a member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She has extensive experience in addiction medicine at all levels of care, and her clinical interests include integrated primary care and addiction medicine, harm reduction, and medication-assisted treatment.
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