Drugs, adversity and trauma: making the case for routine enquiry

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma are prevalent in the lives of people seeking help with substance-related problems. The use of alcohol and other drugs is often a form of self-medication, which may relieve prolong and extreme short term. Working in a trauma-informed way will enable substance misuse services to reach out and support hard to engage vulnerable people who use substances and reverse the harm from trauma, stigma and substance use.

But are we doing enough? Do we sometimes focus on the symptoms instead of the cause? Research shows that there are often many years between adverse events and disclosure. The reasons for this include ‘nobody asked’ and ‘I was not believed’. Consequently, it’s important that drug workers are confident and competent to ask about adversity in a safe, respectful and effective way.

Learning Objectives

• To improve knowledge about the nature and extent of ACEs.
• To understand how trauma can have adverse effects on behaviours, emotions and lifelong opportunities including substance use.
• To understand the key components of a trauma and ACE informed approach.
• To consider the importance, relevance and feasibility of routinely asking about the causes of trauma.