AOftentimes, victims of abuse turn to substances in order to numb the pain they experience every day living in a toxic environment. They tend to be in situations in which they are being gaslighted and manipulated into believing they are “less than” and “crazy.” It is not uncommon to begin believing these things, especially is they are coming from someone who is supposed to love you. And, since abuse is often coupled with the understanding that seeking mental health treatment is forbidden, victims do not have a healthy means to cope with the feelings they endure.
While these individuals may desperately want to seek treatment to figure out “why they are crazy” and “why they cannot just be normal,” they don’t want to get in trouble. If they do so under the radar, they may present with anxiety and depression, paranoia, guilt, and shame. They may already present with substance use issues or issues managing other addictions, such as shopping, pornography, or food. The shopping “addiction” could stem from the fact that they are given “play money” from the abuser and cannot spend it in meaningful ways such as furthering their education, career, or spending time with friends and family outside of the home. The pornography addiction could stem from sexual abuse and violence in the partnership and the need for “normal” intimacy. The food addiction could be the victim’s way of trying to control something when everything feels so uncontrollable.
However, it will take an especially intuitive and patient therapist to successfully delve deeper into the underlying complexities that have led to addictive behavior or the detrimental feelings with which a client presents. And, even if the victim is asked outright about abuse, the chances of them revealing this is slim to none. In many cases, they don’t believe abuse exists (even if physical) because of how manipulative abusers can be.
And, the issue extends beyond this individual’s immediate environment. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when working with abused substance users in order to design and implement an action plan to help these individuals – from a micro- to macro-level. Beyond all the individual factors lies insufficient groundwork or progress towards addressing these issues. Thus, until certain societal systems are remedied, there will be obstacles and unneeded complexities when attempting remedies at an individual level.
The justice system is broken. As a society, we need to stop stigmatizing mental health. We also need to move towards addiction treatment rather than incarceration and treating the underlying causes of addiction. Abuse victims need to be given a voice – thank goodness for #MeToo. And, there needs to be a greater focus placed on sustainable healing and growth rather than band-aiding.
Helping substance users who have been or are being abused is not straightforward. It’s not easy. And, in fact, an individual who is abusing substances to numb the pain of abuse needs to summon the strength inside to leave the toxic situation before any treatment will be effective. This is extremely difficult when they are already weakened by addiction. And, unfortunately, this keeps many trapped in a vicious cycle.
Abuse is never okay. There are free and easily accessible resources to help:
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration Hotline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233
National Suicide Prevention Hotline,1-800-273-8255
Break the silence, break the cycle. This is the first step toward sustainable healing.