In recent decades, mental health professionals have discovered the powerful connection between childhood trauma and adult health outcomes. This connection, now widely studied and accepted, offers insight into the root causes of many behavioral health issues, including alcohol use disorder (AUD), substance use disorder (SUD), chronic disease, and dual diagnosis disorders. At the heart of this understanding lies the concept of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
What Are ACEs?
Defined as traumatic events that occur before the age of 18, they include abuse, neglect, and various forms of household dysfunction. The original ACEs study—a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente in the 1990s—revealed a strong link between childhood trauma and long-term health and behavioral consequences.
The ACEs framework identifies 10 primary categories of early-life trauma:
- Abuse: Physical, emotional, or sexual
- Neglect: Physical or emotional
- Household Dysfunction: Witnessing domestic violence, parental substance abuse, mental illness, incarceration, or divorce/separation
Later research expanded this list to include community violence, bullying, human trafficking, food insecurity, homelessness, and the loss of a caregiver due to death, military deployment, or incarceration.
ACEs Are More Common Than You Might Think
According to the CDC, ACEs are alarmingly widespread. According to the most recent data at this time, around 64% of U.S. adults report experiencing at least one ACE, and over 17% have experienced four or more. While these traumatic incidents can happen to anyone, the risks aren’t evenly distributed—females, Indigenous populations, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people living in poverty or under social and economic stress are disproportionately affected.
This accumulation of adversity increases the risk for numerous issues later in life. The more ACEs someone lives through, the higher their risk for chronic health problems, mental illness, substance misuse, and premature death.
How Adverse Childhood Experiences Impact You
Childhood is a time of critical brain development. Repeated stress or trauma during these years frequently causes lasting disruptions to the brain’s architecture, particularly in areas responsible for emotional regulation, memory, and decision-making. This “toxic stress” response—triggered by continual adversity without the buffering protection of a caring adult—alters how your body manages stress.
The CDC states that toxic stress from ACEs influences long-term physical health by increasing inflammation and compromising the immune system. These biological changes have been linked to higher rates of:
- Autoimmune disorders
- Depression and anxiety
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Intimate partner violence
- Liver disease
- SUD and AUD
- Suicide
Additionally, the organization ACEs Too High (ATH) notes that individuals with high ACEs scores are more likely to experience difficulties in relationships, education, employment, and emotional regulation throughout life.
The Hidden Toll of Childhood Trauma
While the data is sobering, it also validates what many people have long suspected: unresolved childhood trauma deeply affects your adult life. Some people who struggle with addiction, mood disorders, or interpersonal issues might not immediately recognize how much of their experience is rooted in early adversity. That’s why taking the ACEs questionnaire—a simple 10-question tool—can be a useful first step in identifying unresolved issues and seeking appropriate care with qualified professionals.
But it’s also important to note that not everyone with ACEs struggles with health problems. Protective factors—such as stable relationships, access to mental health resources, and personal resilience—often mitigate the effects of early trauma. Still, the damage from chronic exposure to ACEs can’t be reversed through willpower alone.
Healing From ACEs Is Possible
Acknowledging the effects of ACEs is the first step toward better health. For many people, this realization opens the door to deeper self-understanding and healthier coping mechanisms. ATH recommends a multifaceted approach, which often includes:
- Therapy. Partnering with a trauma-informed therapist can help process painful memories and develop healthier behavioral patterns.
- Mindfulness and yoga. Practices such as meditation and yoga are shown to lower stress responses and increase emotional regulation. These methods enhance blood flow to areas of the brain responsible for calm thinking and reduce activation in regions tied to fear and hypervigilance.
- Journaling. Inspired by psychologist James Pennebaker’s work on expressive writing, journaling helps many people make sense of their experiences, identify emotional patterns, and track their healing progress.
- Support systems. Whether through family, friends, recovery support groups, or peer communities, healthy relationships are key. They offer emotional grounding and help rebuild trust that might have been broken in childhood.
Learning about ACEs and their impacts can provide clarity. Understanding that your struggles may have roots in trauma—not personal failure—can be both validating and empowering and help you set a course for true healing.
How Recovery Mountain Helps You Progress Through Life
Many people grow up believing their childhood was simply “difficult” or “less than ideal,” without fully realizing the scope or severity of what they endured. ACEs research helps give voice to these hidden struggles and offers a path forward—not through blame, but through awareness and action.
At Recovery Mountain in Tilton, our board-certified medical professionals offer a wide range of therapeutic methods to help address your past, examine the present, and design a better future. There’s never a “one-size-fits-all” approach: we provide individualized, evidence-based treatment to specifically meet your needs. Talk to our admissions team today to learn more about how we can help.
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