Stress, Trauma & Adverse Experiences
Understanding How Difficult Experiences Can Increase Vulnerability Without Determining Outcomes
Stress, trauma and adversity can increase vulnerability to addiction for some people, but they are not universal causes. This resource explores that relationship while carefully distinguishing between stress, adversity and trauma.
It considers chronic stress, trauma responses, emotional regulation, relief-seeking and adverse childhood and adult experiences. It also explains what ACE research can and cannot tell us, including why an ACE score should never be treated as a prediction of an individual’s future.
Protective factors and trauma-informed approaches are explored alongside risk.
Useful for: understanding how difficult experiences may contribute to vulnerability, using ACE information responsibly and developing support that recognises trauma without automatically assuming it is present.
Space to Breathe Therapy
