Many teens use substances to dull or cope with pain resulting from an underlying trauma-such as loss of a loved one, bullying, sexual assault, or verbal and physical abuse in the family. The pain inflicted by trauma can have devastating effects, often resulting in feelings of guilt, shame, and self-loathing. These feelings only serve to reinforce your substance use, tossing you into a vicious cycle of self-medicating. But there is a way out; a way to better understand and address the reasons why you use, so you can begin your journey toward recovery.