traumatic histories and substance abuse

Traumatic Histories & Substance Abuse Mikayla DiPaola
Addictions & Dependencies
Professor Darroch
Midterm Paper
“The thing about addiction is, it never ends well. Because eventually, whatever it is that was getting us high, stops feeling good, and starts to hurt. Still, they say you don’t kick the habit until you hit rock bottom. But how do you know when you are there? Because no matter how badly a thing is hurting us, sometimes, letting it go hurts even worse” (Quotes, 2014). This excerpt from the television show Grey’s Anatomy gives an accurate and intriguing perspective of addictions and dependencies. In other words, those who suffer from the illness of addiction many times have many underlying issues that tend to push them toward the behaviors their illness provides for them. As many addicts say, they are never ready to get better, but that is mainly because a clean and sober life means dealing with your issues and emotions. In the quote previously stated, when we are faced and confronted with our demons, that is always a more painful and complex experience than anything else in our lives.
Living in a family where addiction runs wild like rapid fire, I have been educated through experiences about addiction and the disease itself. There is no clear cut solution to every addict’s recovery, however I have seen that working through the behaviors and their histories that has led them to engage in poor behaviors typically is effective when in counseling. Many addicts become trapped in their disease and their drug of choice because they struggle so much with dealing with their demons.
“Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Addiction affects neurotransmission and interactions within reward structures of the brain, including the nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate cortex, basal forebrain and amygdala, such that…