Heal the Roots, Heal the Tree
Root of Addiction
Trauma
Adverse childhood experiences (ACES) are traumatic events that occur within an individual’s life during youth years (18 yrs old and younger). In a recent study by the CDC, research found the odds of someone misusing opioids increased as the adverse childhood experiences also increased; adults with adverse childhood experiences were three times more likely to misuse opioids.
- Types of Trauma: Abandonment, physical or emotional violence, poverty, instability at home, racism, witnessing subtance abuse in family memebers, sexual assault.
Prescriptions
In 2017, more than 191 million prescriptions for opioids were written by physicians, enough to almost provide a bottle of medication to each person living in the United States. After opioid therapy treatment, 1 in 4 patients are likely to develop dependency and look for other methods of access to opioids when prescriptions are discontinued.