If you scan down to the discussion of ACEs there are these paragraphs among others. The first study was done in the 1990s. Doctors are not trained in it. I mentioned it to an NP and said it is a validated study; the CDC provides the survey and other info free. He said “I wonder how accurate it is.”
“The ACE Study is one of five parts of ACEs science, which also includes how toxic stress from ACEs damage children’s developing brains; how toxic stress from ACEs affects health; and how it can affect our genes and be passed from one generation to another (epigenetics); and resilience research, which shows the brain is plastic and the body wants to heal. Resilience research focuses on what happens when individuals, organizations and systems integrate trauma-informed and resilience-building practices, for example in education and in the family court system “
“I’ve seen about 1,200 patients who are addicted,” he says. “Of those, more than 1,100 have an ACE score of 3 or more.”
“... the more types of childhood adversity a person experienced – the higher their risk of chronic disease, mental illness, violence, being a victim of violence and a bunch of other consequences. The study found that most people (64%) have at least one ACE; 12% of the population has an ACE score of 4. Having an ACE score of 4 nearly doubles the risk of heart disease and cancer. It increases the likelihood of becoming an alcoholic by 700 percent and the risk of attempted suicide by 1200 percent “
I just took the ACE exam and got my score. As soon as I read about ACE's, I knew they explained my inexplicable behavior. I was raised on a diet of shame and suffered from an odd form of PTSD which encouraged my smoking, drinking and drugging by age 13, in a household where no one EVER engaged in such behavior.
I needed to drink before school as a freshman and by the time I was 19 drinking before work, I knew that I was in trouble, so I joined the USMC.
Woo Charlie, the discipline did me a WORLD of good.
Since then, I practice all things in moderation. With the exception of cigarette smoking. That is now verboten.
Oh, my score is a 6! I'm not proud but not shamed either. Just another human being trying get better at this business of being human.
It makes sense. Not so sure it is ‘odd’ for PTSD to encourage those behaviors. ‘The score’ is not something to provide pride or shame because it is based on things we cannot control. That said, overcoming circumstances is a reason to feel pride and recognize an accomplishment that also helps those around you. Chances are the adults in your life had similar exposure. It is very difficult to assess for “resilience” ... being able to deal with adverse experiences. There are key things known to add or grow personal strengths. For children it is key to have a trusted adult in their lives. For everyone - a connection to community, culture, having basic needs met (including health care & housing).
I retired a few years ago. The last several years I spent getting advice from professionals (I’m a “layperson”) & devising ways to explain to adults, especially survivors of abuse and stressed parents to see the value, instead of the hassle, of managing a few things as much as possible - making sure everyone gets adequate sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindfulness (which can mean soothing activities like music etc), and healthy relationships. These can reduce toxic stress. There are little things like caps on our DNA called “telomeres” that protect the tips of our chromosomes. Chronic / toxic stress appears to wear them down making us more susceptible to disease etc.
I was also fortunate to have opportunities to speak to & work with a variety of groups and city employees. People want information & insight. One time I was with a group of human trafficking advocates who were mostly survivors. My objective was to connect the dots of their experiences, issues that came into their lives (like substance abuse) and how the work they do as advocate is a resilience factor for them & other survivors. Sort of a toolbox for them to understand themselves, other survivors & be able to explain why people do things that seem inexplicable to everyone, police, social workers etc.
As I spoke one advocate, who I knew, was tearing up and a little agitated. She suddenly jumped up (I almost had a heart attack) and loudly proclaimed, “ I understand why it’s not my fault!.” Graduates of substance abuse programs and their families were more subdued but often asked how to share the information with their friends & family.
ACEs Too High is where I would send them. It’s a great website.
It is a factor. There is a pretty good predictor for addiction rates.
This doctor says: Addiction shouldn’t be called “addiction”. It should be called “ritualized compulsive comfort-seeking”.
https://acestoohigh.com/2017/05/02/addiction-doc-says-stop-chasing-the-drug-focus-on-aces-people-can-recover/
That is precisely what it is. “Ritualized compulsive comfort-seeking”.
Thank you Ann.
If you scan down to the discussion of ACEs there are these paragraphs among others. The first study was done in the 1990s. Doctors are not trained in it. I mentioned it to an NP and said it is a validated study; the CDC provides the survey and other info free. He said “I wonder how accurate it is.”
“The ACE Study is one of five parts of ACEs science, which also includes how toxic stress from ACEs damage children’s developing brains; how toxic stress from ACEs affects health; and how it can affect our genes and be passed from one generation to another (epigenetics); and resilience research, which shows the brain is plastic and the body wants to heal. Resilience research focuses on what happens when individuals, organizations and systems integrate trauma-informed and resilience-building practices, for example in education and in the family court system “
“I’ve seen about 1,200 patients who are addicted,” he says. “Of those, more than 1,100 have an ACE score of 3 or more.”
“... the more types of childhood adversity a person experienced – the higher their risk of chronic disease, mental illness, violence, being a victim of violence and a bunch of other consequences. The study found that most people (64%) have at least one ACE; 12% of the population has an ACE score of 4. Having an ACE score of 4 nearly doubles the risk of heart disease and cancer. It increases the likelihood of becoming an alcoholic by 700 percent and the risk of attempted suicide by 1200 percent “
I just took the ACE exam and got my score. As soon as I read about ACE's, I knew they explained my inexplicable behavior. I was raised on a diet of shame and suffered from an odd form of PTSD which encouraged my smoking, drinking and drugging by age 13, in a household where no one EVER engaged in such behavior.
I needed to drink before school as a freshman and by the time I was 19 drinking before work, I knew that I was in trouble, so I joined the USMC.
Woo Charlie, the discipline did me a WORLD of good.
Since then, I practice all things in moderation. With the exception of cigarette smoking. That is now verboten.
Oh, my score is a 6! I'm not proud but not shamed either. Just another human being trying get better at this business of being human.
It makes sense. Not so sure it is ‘odd’ for PTSD to encourage those behaviors. ‘The score’ is not something to provide pride or shame because it is based on things we cannot control. That said, overcoming circumstances is a reason to feel pride and recognize an accomplishment that also helps those around you. Chances are the adults in your life had similar exposure. It is very difficult to assess for “resilience” ... being able to deal with adverse experiences. There are key things known to add or grow personal strengths. For children it is key to have a trusted adult in their lives. For everyone - a connection to community, culture, having basic needs met (including health care & housing).
I retired a few years ago. The last several years I spent getting advice from professionals (I’m a “layperson”) & devising ways to explain to adults, especially survivors of abuse and stressed parents to see the value, instead of the hassle, of managing a few things as much as possible - making sure everyone gets adequate sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindfulness (which can mean soothing activities like music etc), and healthy relationships. These can reduce toxic stress. There are little things like caps on our DNA called “telomeres” that protect the tips of our chromosomes. Chronic / toxic stress appears to wear them down making us more susceptible to disease etc.
I was also fortunate to have opportunities to speak to & work with a variety of groups and city employees. People want information & insight. One time I was with a group of human trafficking advocates who were mostly survivors. My objective was to connect the dots of their experiences, issues that came into their lives (like substance abuse) and how the work they do as advocate is a resilience factor for them & other survivors. Sort of a toolbox for them to understand themselves, other survivors & be able to explain why people do things that seem inexplicable to everyone, police, social workers etc.
As I spoke one advocate, who I knew, was tearing up and a little agitated. She suddenly jumped up (I almost had a heart attack) and loudly proclaimed, “ I understand why it’s not my fault!.” Graduates of substance abuse programs and their families were more subdued but often asked how to share the information with their friends & family.
ACEs Too High is where I would send them. It’s a great website.