First, I want to say how sorry I am that you or someone you love is struggling with addiction. I know first-hand how painful it is. Addiction nearly killed me when I was 18 years old.

What I’ve learned since then is that almost all addiction stems from trauma. This can be difficult for some people to understand; they assume trauma has to mean a person was beaten, molested or in a life-threatening accident. But we all have different levels of sensitivity.

Addiction is something you are driven to do—anything you crave that gives you temporary pleasure or relief but then causes negative consequences. Addiction is something you are unable to give up, despite the suffering it causes.

The challenging thing for people that don’t have this craving to understand is how someone could have that craving in the first place. They wonder why the addict can’t just make a better choice.

I’m of the belief that addiction is not a choice…