Understanding Trauma and Its Connection to Alcohol Misuse

Living with trauma can be overwhelming, leaving you in a constant state of anxiety and stress. You might struggle with sleep and find it difficult to relax. While alcohol might offer temporary relief, it never lasts—you always return to that tense, hypervigilant state. This post explores why trauma survivors often turn to alcohol, examines healthier coping strategies, and discusses pathways to healing.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is a lasting emotional response to a deeply distressing event. It can occur in various settings—at home, school, or in the community—and generally falls into two categories:

Type 1 Trauma (Acute Trauma)

This refers to unexpected, single-incident traumas such as:

• Severe illness or injury
• Violent or sexual assault
• Traumatic loss or grief
• Mugging or robbery
• Being a victim of or witness to violence
• Witnessing a terrorist attack or natural disaster
• Road accidents
• Military combat incidents
• Hospitalization or medical trauma

Type 2 Trauma (Complex Trauma)

This involves repeated or prolonged traumatic experiences, often during childhood or early development, including:

• Sibling abuse
• Childhood emotional abuse
• Domestic violence or abuse
• Emotional neglect and attachment trauma
• Abandonment or physical neglect
• Verbal abuse
• Bullying at home, school, or work
• Sexual abuse
• Overly strict upbringing

Trauma is sometimes categorized as "Big T" (e.g., combat, assault) or "little t" (e.g., emotional abuse, bullying). Repeated "little t" traumas can be just as damaging as "Big T" events.

Signs and Symptoms of Trauma

Trauma affects everyone differently, but it often has lasting impacts on mental, physical, emotional, and social well-being. Common symptoms include:

• Intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares
• Avoiding people, places, or objects linked to the trauma
• Hypervigilance or constant awareness of potential danger
• Being easily startled
• Reacting to triggers (consciously or subconsciously)
• Negative self-perception (e.g., feeling "bad," excessive guilt or shame)
• Difficulty controlling emotions or feeling overwhelmed

Physical symptoms like chronic pain, sleep issues, chest pain, or headaches may also appear. While not everyone develops long-term effects, about 20% of trauma survivors experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Link Between Trauma and Alcohol Misuse

Research indicates that trauma—whether or not it leads to PTSD—increases the risk of alcohol misuse. Up to 75% of abuse or violence survivors report drinking problems, and about a third of those who survive accidents, illness, or disasters struggle with alcohol.

Women with PTSD are 2.5 times more likely to misuse alcohol than women without it, while men with PTSD are twice as likely. Among adolescents in substance use treatment, over 70% have a trauma history, and 60-80% of Vietnam veterans seeking PTSD treatment have alcohol use issues, often binge drinking in response to traumatic memories.

Why Trauma Survivors Turn to Alcohol

Trauma alters brain structure and function, particularly in three areas:

• Amygdala: Controls the fight-or-flight response; becomes overactive and oversensitive after trauma.
• Hippocampus: Involved in learning and memory; tends to be smaller and less active, making it hard to distinguish past from present dangers.
• Prefrontal Cortex: Responsible for rational decision-making; becomes smaller and less active, impairing the ability to calm the amygdala.

These changes lead to symptoms like panic, flashbacks, and hypervigilance. Alcohol temporarily boosts dopamine, providing short-term relief, but it doesn't address the root cause.

The Problem With Using Alcohol to Cope

Although alcohol may offer momentary relief, it worsens trauma symptoms over time. It can increase anger, irritability, depression, anxiety, and insomnia, creating a harmful cycle. For example, using alcohol to sleep disrupts sleep quality, leading to worse mood and more anxiety—prompting further drinking.

Up to half of adults with both PTSD and alcohol misuse also face additional issues like panic attacks, mood disorders, attention problems, chronic illnesses, or ongoing pain. Alcohol masks symptoms but exacerbates them in the long run.

Healing From Trauma

Recovery is challenging but achievable, often through trauma-focused psychotherapy. Effective approaches include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps Quitemate traumatic experiences and challenge unhealthy thoughts and emotions.
• Cognitive Processing Therapy: A form of CBT that restructures negative beliefs and emotions related to trauma.
• Prolonged Exposure Therapy: Gradually exposes individuals to trauma in a safe environment, teaching coping skills for triggers.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Uses guided eye movements or other stimuli to reduce the stress associated with traumatic memories.

Medications like SSRIs (e.g., Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac) may also be prescribed to manage symptoms such as sadness, anxiety, anger, and sleep issues.

Coping With Trauma

Alongside professional treatment, self-care practices can support mental and physical well-being:

• Mindfulness: Even five minutes daily can reduce anxiety, depression, and emotional reactivity while calming the amygdala.
• Physical Activity: A 10-minute walk or other enjoyable exercise can improve mood and reduce stress.
• Journaling: Writing about thoughts and feelings can decrease flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and body tension while improving mental focus.

The Bottom Line

Trauma takes many forms and profoundly impacts well-being. While alcohol might seem like a quick fix, it only deepens the struggle over time. True healing requires professional support through therapy and/or medication. If you've been using alcohol to cope with trauma, consider trying Quitemate—a neuroscience-backed app that has helped many people reduce alcohol use and build healthier, happier lives.