A Better Today
Substance Abuse &
PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Abuse
A Better Today Recovery Services understands the struggles that we all must face when life is overwhelmingly difficult. When life becomes overwhelming, we don’t always find the right answer on how to deal with it, and in that moment, who can judge what is the right answer?
Many people who struggle with anxiety, stress or trauma turn to drugs and Alcohol to cope with what is going on or what had happened to them in the past. When left up to our own devices PTSD can leave us dealing with symptoms that we don’t understand how to treat.
PTSD is becoming more commonly diagnosed in combination with addiction. Many who have never been enlisted are realizing that they too suffer the same symptomology as those who have survived constant gunfire and near-death experiences while in uniform.
The trauma and experiences someone has while actively using drugs and Alcohol can lead to PTSD. The vice versa is also true – PTSD is often handled by numbing the symptoms with mood and mind-altering substances, such as Alcohol and drugs.
Though initially the individual may see or believe that there is no other way to make it through the day without using, with proper treatment he or she can recover from both the addiction and the symptoms of PTSD.
Empowering Patients with Knowledge
When an individual experiences two separate mental health issues simultaneously, he or she must treat both problems in order to recover from either. The term for co-existing mental health conditions is dual-diagnosis or co-occurring disorders.