Heal the Roots, Heal the Tree
Root of Addiction
![](https://connectgnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tree-of-hope.png)
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.
![](https://connectgnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2016opioid-prescription-rates.png)
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.