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[quote=Anonymous]This discussion coincides with my reading of a book about addiction someone on DCUM recommended a short while ago.  It's called [i]In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts[/i], and I just came across this passage (emphasis mine):

[i]The hormone pathways of sexually abused children are chronically altered.  Even a relatively mild stressor, such as maternal depression - let alone neglect, abandonment or abuse -
 can disturb an infant's physical stress mechanisms.  [b]Add neglect, abandonment or abuse and the child will be more reactive to stress throughout her life.[/b]

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that a history of childhood abuse per se is related to increased neuroendocrine, nervous and hormonal stress reactivity, which is further enhanced when additional trauma is experienced in adulthood.  A brain preset to be easily triggered into a stress response is likely to assign a high value to substances, activities and situations that provide short term relief.  [b]It will have less interest in long term consequences, just as people in extremes of thirst will greedily consume water knowing that it may contain toxins.[/b]  On the other hand, situations or activities that, for the average person, are likely to bring satisfaction are undervalued because in the addicts life, they have not been rewarding.  For example, intimate connections with family.  This shrinking from normal experience is also an outcome of early trauma and stress, as summarized in a recent psychiatric review of child development.  Neglect and abuse during early life may cause bonding systems to develop abnormally and compromise capacity for rewarding interpersonal relationships and commitment to societal and cultural values later in life.  [b]Other means of stimulating reward pathways in the brain, such as drugs, sex, aggression and intimidating others could become relatively more attractive and less constrained by concern about violating trusting relationships.  The ability to modify behavior based on negative experiences may be impaired.[/b][/i]

The author goes on to talk about how neglected and/or abused children have a deeply ingrained response to stress and cope with it through self soothing.  Maybe they don't end up as drug addicts, but it's manifested in other ways (see above reference to aggression and intimidating others).

I just think it's important to look at the long term effects of adverse childhood experiences like poverty and domestic violence because that impaired decision-making impacts so many other aspects of responsible living that are being criticized here - learning capacity, ability to hold a job, chronic disease and the choices that lead to them, depression, violence. The commonality of adverse childhood experiences was the thing that stood out for me in that book [i]Hillbilly Elegy[/i].  That author talked about similarities between his childhood and those of AAs who grew up in inner city poverty.

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