--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Childhood trauma is really what puts the…" description: "\"Childhood trauma is really what puts the rocket fuel behind addiction.\" — Drew Pinsky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/drew-pinsky-4091_addiction_childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the_2001836.png" --- # Childhood trauma is really what puts the rocket fuel… ![“Childhood trauma is really what puts the rocket fuel behind addiction.” quote by Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/drew-pinsky-4091_addiction_childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the_2001836.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/drew-pinsky-4091_addiction_childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the_2001836.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/drew-pinsky-4091_addiction_childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the_2001836.png) > “Childhood trauma is really what puts the rocket fuel behind addiction.” [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trauma in early life can intensify cravings and drive addictive behavior. **In simple terms:** Early trauma fuels addiction. Key Takeaway Address trauma to break addiction. Themes addiction trauma recovery Mood reflective hopeful Type analytical motivational When to use this quote - counseling sessions - rehab programs - support groups - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology neurobiology self‑medication Questions to Reflect On - How has past trauma shaped your coping habits? - What steps can you take to heal? A Different Perspective Trauma alone does not guarantee addiction; resilience and support matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Childhood trauma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-trauma/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Trauma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trauma/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Trauma really does confront you with the best and the worst. You see the horrendous things that people do to each other, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessel-van-der-kolk/trauma-really-does-confront-you-with-the-best-and-the-worst-you-see/) [Bessel van der Kolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessel-van-der-kolk/) > [I often feel trapped. I often feel like I'm trying to escape some trap, be it a way of thinking, a compulsion, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/i-often-feel-trapped-i-often-feel-like-i-m-trying-to-escape-some-trap/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [Trauma super charges addiction and makes it really bad. It doesn't necessarily cause it, though it can trigger it. It's not necessarily the issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/trauma-super-charges-addiction-and-makes-it-really-bad-it-doesn-t/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Punishment by definition isn't going to help. So what you need to do is to help people to change and recover is to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/punishment-by-definition-isn-t-going-to-help-so-what-you-need-to-do/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [Why do we feel jealousy? Therapists often regard the demon as a scar of childhood trauma or a symptom of a psychological problem. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/why-do-we-feel-jealousy-therapists-often-regard-the-demon-as-a-scar/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“The initial trauma of a young child may go underground but it will return to haunt us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-garbarino/the-initial-trauma-of-a-young-child-may-go-underground-but-it-will/) James Garbarino > [“Boundaries are, in simple terms, the recognition of personal space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-don-brown/boundaries-are-in-simple-terms-the-recognition-of-personal-space/) [Asa Don Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-don-brown/) > [I definitely have a dark sense of humor, and in ways I think that comes from having a lot of childhood trauma - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-definitely-have-a-dark-sense-of-humor-and-in-ways-i-think-that/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [“Complexly traumatized children need to be helped to engage their attention in pursuits that do not remind them of trauma-related triggers and that give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-benamer/complexly-traumatized-children-need-to-be-helped-to-engage-their/) Sarah Benamer > [These days, there are a great many books about childhood trauma and its effects, but at the time all the experts agreed that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-straub/these-days-there-are-a-great-many-books-about-childhood-trauma-and/) [Peter Straub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-straub/) > [“But it was impossible to share my feelings of grief with Peggy, because most of the time it was impossible to feel them. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-perry/but-it-was-impossible-to-share-my-feelings-of-grief-with-peggy/) [Sarah Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-perry/) > [“Trauma is personal. It does not disappear if it is not validated. When it is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-bernock/trauma-is-personal-it-does-not-disappear-if-it-is-not-validated-when/) [Danielle Bernock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-bernock/) > [The old rule about how a thing of beauty is a joy forever, in my experience, even the most beauteous thing is only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-old-rule-about-how-a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-forever-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The manic relief that comes from the fantasy that we can with one savage slash cut the chains of the past and rise like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/the-manic-relief-that-comes-from-the-fantasy-that-we-can-with-one/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [I was quite shy when I was younger, but I'm not one of those people who can complain of a bad childhood or any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilia-fox/i-was-quite-shy-when-i-was-younger-but-i-m-not-one-of-those-people/) [Emilia Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilia-fox/) ## More by Drew Pinsky > [An Internet 'relationship' doesn't have to be catastrophically harmful to be inappropriate. Hurtful is bad enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/an-internet-relationship-doesn-t-have-to-be-catastrophically-harmful/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Trauma super charges addiction and makes it really bad. It doesn't necessarily cause it, though it can trigger it. It's not necessarily the issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/trauma-super-charges-addiction-and-makes-it-really-bad-it-doesn-t/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [The term 'doctor' has been so abused lately! I didn't live in a hospital for 10 years so that term could be bastardized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/the-term-doctor-has-been-so-abused-lately-i-didn-t-live-in-a-hospital/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Particularly women need to pay attention to what is unique to their own personal biology and emotional systems, and not deny it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/particularly-women-need-to-pay-attention-to-what-is-unique-to-their/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Every person is highly individualized so if a person is seriously concerned, then they first need to get a medical evaluation and make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/every-person-is-highly-individualized-so-if-a-person-is-seriously/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [All medicine is gradations and differences and nuances. And there's such a thing as natural recovery: people spontaneously get better. It happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/all-medicine-is-gradations-and-differences-and-nuances-and-there-s/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Narcissism is not about self love. It's a clinical trait that belies a deep sense of emptiness, low self-esteem, emotional detachment, self-loathing, extreme problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/narcissism-is-not-about-self-love-it-s-a-clinical-trait-that-belies-a/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Millennials really don't perceive hierarchies. They either don't perceive them or don't like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/millennials-really-don-t-perceive-hierarchies-they-either-don-t/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Ages 18 to 22 is such a hard transition, everyone's depressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/ages-18-to-22-is-such-a-hard-transition-everyone-s-depressed/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Secrets keep addicts ill and cost lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/secrets-keep-addicts-ill-and-cost-lives/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [You should hear all the people talking to me about Heath Ledger, and yet I'm the only person shooting his mouth off out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/you-should-hear-all-the-people-talking-to-me-about-heath-ledger-and/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [Treatment of alcohol addiction can take many forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/treatment-of-alcohol-addiction-can-take-many-forms/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [I was doing general medicine and during residency, I moonlighted at a psychiatric hospital and became very interested in the medical care of psychiatric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/i-was-doing-general-medicine-and-during-residency-i-moonlighted-at-a/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [As a clinician, I would never want to be coercive in relation to a patient, nor do I harbor the illusion that as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/as-a-clinician-i-would-never-want-to-be-coercive-in-relation-to-a/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [If you're experiencing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, uncontrolled use of substances, or any other behaviors that affect your functioning, please see a professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/if-you-re-experiencing-symptoms-such-as-depression-anxiety/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) [Explore all 116 Drew Pinsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) ## More Addiction quotes > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. Like being able to run for this or run for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-had-an-addiction-to-artificial-points-of-success-like-being-able-to/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“Oil. The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Childhood trauma is really what puts the rocket fuel behind addiction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Drew Pinsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the-rocket-fuel-behind-addiction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the-rocket-fuel-behind-addiction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/drew-pinsky-4091_addiction_childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the_2001836.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/drew-pinsky-4091_addiction_childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the_2001836.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/drew-pinsky-4091_addiction_childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the_2001836.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Childhood trauma is really what puts the rocket fuel behind addiction.” — Drew Pinsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Drew Pinsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Childhood trauma is really what puts...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the-rocket-fuel-behind-addiction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/childhood-trauma-is-really-what-puts-the-rocket-fuel-behind-addiction/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```