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Image Description: Brown & Cream Coloured Image Depicting a Typewriter With Wording "Trauma & Survival" Typed On Paper. Image Credit: PhotoFunia.com Category: Vintage Typewriter.

Facing Inner Demons: Why Trauma Survivors Turn to Drugs and Alcohol

Trauma leaves lasting wounds, but numbing pain with drugs and alcohol only deepens the suffering. Although self-medication may seem like an escape, it damages the body and creates new chains of dependency. The path to healing is not easy, but it is possible. With therapy, support, and healthier coping mechanisms, people can face their fears, overcome their inner demons, and take back control of their lives.

Image Credit: generated by Microsoft Copilot (2025) “This image was created using AI tools to visually represent emotional overwhelm and time pressure in the context of Trauma, Memory Loss and Healing” Image Description: “A person sitting calmly with a clock in the background.”

Can Forgetting Compulsions Help Heal OCD and Trauma?

Stress can play a major role in memory lapses, especially for people living with OCD and trauma. When the mind is overwhelmed by anxiety, daily pressures, or too many competing tasks, it can become harder to focus on intrusive thoughts or compulsions. Preoccupation with other responsibilities may naturally push the urge into the background, allowing it to fade over time. In this way, stress and distraction, although challenging, can sometimes disrupt the cycle of OCD by creating moments where the compulsion is forgotten.

Image credit: © OpenAI / Generated with DALL·E — “Silhouette of a person behind bars symbolising detention and loss of freedom.

Enforced Disappearances: The Hidden Mental Health Crisis

“Enforced disappearance is not only a serious crime under international law but also a mental health emergency. Victims and families face wounds that are invisible, prolonged, and often overlooked. As Professor Forrester and Dr Ahmed emphasise, there is a ‘dire need’ to recognise these harms and provide effective, compassionate, and culturally sensitive care.”