What Stauros Does

Personal Challenges

It is important in Stauros work to be aware of the emotional well-being of people who ask for help. Adversity in childhood, in whatever form, is a contributing factor in poor mental and physical health, and one consequence of this fact is a significantly increased risk of substance use, abuse and addiction. We have found that many of our people have had to face personal challenges or emotional hurdles of one kind or another. A high percentage (84%) reported to us they have had to deal with an emotional trauma. Some research has demonstrated that exposure to trauma increases the risk of substance abuse disorder (Danielson, C.K., Amstadter, A.B., Dangelmaier, R.E., Resnick, H.S., Saunders, B.E. and Kilpatrick, D.G. (2009), “Trauma-related risk factors for substance abuse among male versus female young adults”, Addictive Behaviors, 34, pp 395-399). About one quarter of our people (24%) said they have had to come to terms with a prison sentence. Regarding personal health, 21% said they have had to deal with a life threatening illness, and almost half (46%) identified that they have had mental health issues. Well over two thirds (77%) reported they have had to come to terms with the death of a relative and over half (54%) talked of the death of a close friend. Personal challenges such as these are like the background noise that continues unabated behind the immediate difficulties of addiction.