By Michael Ortoll, Founder of the Christine Ortoll Charity
When I lost my daughter to a fentanyl overdose, my world was shattered. I’ve spent countless hours reflecting on her life and the battles she faced, trying to understand what led her down such a dangerous path. One painful but crucial truth that emerged was that my daughter, like so many others, was carrying unresolved trauma. That trauma fueled her addiction, and ultimately, it took her life.
In her honor, I founded a charity to produce award-winning media that educates and inspires people to seek recovery. Through this work, I’ve learned how deeply unresolved trauma is connected to addiction and, more importantly, how addressing that trauma can help individuals not just recover but truly heal and thrive.
The Connection Between Trauma and Addiction
Addiction is rarely just about the substances themselves. For many people, substances like alcohol, opioids, or other drugs are a way to numb emotional pain, escape reality, or cope with overwhelming memories. Beneath the surface of addiction often lies unresolved trauma—painful experiences that were never fully processed or healed. Whether it’s childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, or other forms of emotional pain, the unresolved trauma creates wounds that persist into adulthood.
Trauma impacts the brain in profound ways. It can leave individuals feeling disconnected, anxious, and unable to cope with stress in healthy ways. For someone in pain, substances can offer a temporary reprieve from their emotional suffering, dulling the pain for a brief moment. But over time, the need to escape grows stronger, and that’s when addiction takes hold.
My daughter’s story is one of many that highlight this tragic cycle. She carried emotional wounds from her past—wounds that she never fully addressed. As her pain grew, she turned to fentanyl as a way to cope. It was a way to numb herself from the hurt she didn’t know how to confront.
How Unresolved Trauma Manifests into Addiction
Trauma doesn’t just disappear when we grow up or try to move on. It lingers, often festering beneath the surface, influencing our thoughts, behaviors, and relationships. Here are some of the ways unresolved trauma can manifest into addiction:
Numbing Emotional Pain
Many individuals who struggle with addiction use substances to escape from their emotional pain. Whether it’s anxiety, depression, or memories of past trauma, substances can offer temporary relief by numbing those emotions. However, this relief is short-lived, and the cycle of addiction deepens as the person continues to rely on substances to avoid dealing with their trauma.
Coping with Stress and Triggers
People who have experienced trauma often find it difficult to manage stress. Everyday situations can trigger painful memories or emotions, and without healthy coping mechanisms, they may turn to substances to calm their nerves or escape their overwhelming feelings. Over time, this reliance on substances can develop into full-blown addiction.
Feeling Disconnected and Isolated
Trauma can leave individuals feeling disconnected from others and from themselves. They may struggle with trust, intimacy, and emotional connection, which can lead to feelings of isolation. To fill this void, many turn to substances as a way to “feel something” or to distract themselves from the loneliness they carry.
Reenacting Trauma
Some individuals unknowingly reenact their trauma through destructive behaviors. For example, someone who experienced neglect or abuse as a child may engage in self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse, believing they don’t deserve happiness or stability. This cycle can perpetuate addiction and make recovery even more difficult without proper support.
Breaking the Cycle: How We Can Help
While the connection between trauma and addiction is undeniable, the good news is that healing is possible. Recovery from addiction requires more than just quitting substances—it’s about addressing the root cause of the pain and trauma that led to the addiction in the first place. Here’s how we can help those seeking recovery heal and thrive:
Trauma-Informed Care
One of the most important steps in helping individuals recover from addiction is recognizing the role trauma plays in their behavior. Trauma-informed care acknowledges that unresolved trauma is often at the root of addiction and seeks to provide a safe, supportive environment for healing. This approach avoids re-traumatizing individuals and instead focuses on helping them build trust, safety, and emotional resilience.
Therapy and Counseling
Addressing trauma requires more than willpower—it requires professional help. Therapy, particularly forms like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), can help individuals process their trauma in a healthy way. Therapists trained in trauma can guide individuals through their painful memories, helping them reframe their experiences and develop new, healthier coping strategies.
Building Emotional Resilience
Recovery from addiction is a journey, and it requires building emotional resilience. This means teaching individuals how to cope with stress, manage triggers, and regulate their emotions without turning to substances. Mindfulness, meditation, and stress-relief practices can all play a role in helping someone in recovery build the tools they need to thrive.
Creating Supportive Communities
Healing from trauma and addiction doesn’t happen in isolation. People need strong support networks—whether it’s family, friends, or recovery groups—to help them navigate the ups and downs of recovery. Our charity’s media focuses on raising awareness about the importance of community support in recovery, showing individuals that they are not alone in their struggle.
Education and Awareness
One of the reasons I started this charity was to educate others about the link between trauma and addiction. Many people, including those struggling with addiction, aren’t aware that their behavior is tied to unresolved trauma. By creating award-winning media that inspires people to seek recovery, we aim to raise awareness and provide practical resources for healing.
Healing is Possible
My daughter’s story is a painful reminder of what can happen when trauma goes unresolved, but it’s also the inspiration behind our mission to help others heal. Recovery isn’t just about breaking free from addiction—it’s about healing the emotional wounds that led to addiction in the first place.
Through our work, we’ve seen countless individuals who, after addressing their trauma, are able to recover and build fulfilling lives. It’s a process that takes time, patience, and support, but it’s possible. No one should have to carry the weight of unresolved trauma alone, and no one should feel trapped in addiction without a way out.
Final Thoughts
Unresolved trauma doesn’t have to lead to addiction. With the right support, resources, and care, healing is possible. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction and carrying the weight of past trauma, know that help is available. Our charity is here to provide inspiration, education, and support through media that encourages recovery and healing.
Let’s work together to break the cycle of trauma and addiction and help people not just survive—but thrive.
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