The Link Between Isolation Trauma and Substance Use Disorder

Dear Patient,

In this episode I talk about the HUGE link between past traumas, isolation and substance use disorder. I hope this makes you recognize that if you are someone who has experienced trauma in your past it is okay to ask for help. Further I want to stress that there is help out there if you ask for it. Remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Dr. John Keenan Fanning

P.S. I need to thank Dr. Landon Berger for his contributions to this podcast. Without his amazing guidance and suggestions this podcast would not have been possible! Additionally I owe thanks to Dr. Kathryn Dong who provided useful edits for this episode.

P.P.S. Here are some resources if you want more information. I have included some medical paper references, I have included these for completion.

Number of Canadian users: Canadian Statistics website - https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2021012/article/00002-eng.htm

Number of American and Worldwide users: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448203/

Citation from website: Azadfard M, Huecker MR, Leaming JM. Opioid Addiction. [Updated 2023 Apr 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448203/

The former governor declares loneliness an epidemic: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2023/05/06/us-surgeon-general-cites-loneliness-as-serious-mental-health-hazard-in-new-report/?sh=29b5225d1adc

Everything you think you know about Addiction is Wrong TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs

Increased opioid Use during pandemic: https://covid19-sciencetable.ca/sciencebrief/the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-opioid-related-harm-in-ontario/

Citation from website: Friesen EL, Kurdyak PA, Gomes T, et al. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on opioid-related harm in Ontario. Science Briefs of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. 2021;2(42). https://doi.org/10.47326/ocsat.2021.02.42.1.0

CDC website cited study saying 15x more likely to suffer with multiple ACE’s: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/priority/index.html

CDC REFERENCED PAPER - Swedo, E. A., Sumner, S. A., de Fijter, S., Werhan, L., Norris, K., Beauregard, J. L., Montgomery, M. P., Rose, E. B., Hillis, S. D., & Massetti, G. M. (2020). Adolescent Opioid Misuse Attributable to Adverse Childhood Experiences. The Journal of Pediatrics, 224, 102-109.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.05.001

CDC REFERENCED PAPER - Stein MD, Conti MT, Kenney S, Anderson BJ, Flori JN, Risi MM, Bailey GL. Adverse childhood experience effects on opioid use initiation, injection drug use, and overdose among persons with opioid use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017 Oct 1;179:325-329. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.07.007. Epub 2017 Aug 5. PMID: 28841495; PMCID: PMC5599365.