First, cocaine dependent cases recruited in chemical dependency treatment centers reported experiencing alarmingly high rates of violent and traumatic events. Nearly 94% of cocaine dependent cases recruited in treatment endured at least one traumatic event. Fifty-eight percent of female cocaine dependent cases recruited in treatment reported being raped or sexually assaulted, 54% had been threatened with a weapon, and nearly 27% witnessed someone being killed. Of the male cocaine dependent cases recruited in treatment, 75% were threatened with a weapon, 19% had been shot, and almost 47% witnessed someone being killed. These high levels of traumatic events are greater than noted in previous studies on drug users (Breslau et al., 1998; Cottler et al., 2001; Johnson et al., 2003; Johnson et al., 2006; Wasserman et al., 1997). One reason for this may be that we had strict inclusion criteria that participants were both cocaine dependent and in treatment. In addition, the high prevalence of trauma in this sample supports evidence that dependence of “hard” drugs, like cocaine, is associated with an increased risk of trauma exposure. We do not know
