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A popular theory among addiction treatment providers today is that there are “causes” of addiction. When people go into addiction treatment programs, many hours are spent talking to counselors and sitting in group therapy sessions talking about what the causes of a person’s addiction may be. They look at childhood traumas, life stressors, mental health, and emotional problems, etc., and say these things are “causing” an individual’s addiction. The problem with this theory is, first research shows it isn’t true; and also, you can’t go back and change the past, life is stressful for everyone and with respect to mental health and emotional problems – this creates a circular trap. Many people with mental health and emotional problems who also struggle with substance use get caught in an infinite loop – being told they must stop their substance use to be able to resolve their emotional problems. But if the emotional problems are “causing” the heavy use, how are they supposed to stop it? As is true in many areas of life, the truth actually sets people free. Research clearly shows that most people with mental health and emotional problems don’t have substance use problems, and this means it can’t be casual or everyone who fits into that category would also have addictions. Furthermore with both do get over their addictions at higher rates than they do their mental health issues. Additionally, most people with childhood trauma don’t have addictions either; and as I said, life is very stressful for everyone at times. Reasons, Not Causes There are those who believe that heavy substance use helps them with their stress, trauma, and mental health issues – and the benefits they perceive become their reasons for use. This is an important distinction.
Here is a link to a short article that explains this concept in greater detail and why it is so important to understand when trying to solve addiction. | 
