Memorial Day is coming up, a day where we take the time to remember our nation’s veterans. But aside from Memorial Day, there’s a great deal that needs to be done throughout the rest of the year, to assist with our nation’s crisis of veteran addiction.
The connection between veterans and addiction is strong; in fact 1 out of every 10 soldiers returning from the US war with Afghanistan have diagnosed PTSD. The connection between PTSD and addiction is another huge element in the issue of veterans and addiction. Approximately 11-20 percent of every 100 veterans experiences PTSD upon returning from active combat. One-third of veterans looking for treatment for issues with substance use disorder are diagnosed with PTSD.
Pain, anger, sleep disturbances (like trouble falling asleep, waking up during the night, or nightmares), a feeling of “numbness,” the inability to relate to others, flashbacks to incidents of military combat, feeling nervous and as though you must defend yourself at any moment, pain, and more.
In order to deal with these symptoms, you might binge-drink—which is a practice of avoiding these symptoms and numbing them. Or you might use drugs—which also might work for a short period of time, but when the effects wear off, you experience the symptoms again.
So how do we counter the issue of veterans and substance use disorder? It begins with dual diagnosis. Since the prevalence of PTSD among veterans is so high, it’s absolutely crucial to address that element of addiction through the recovery program.
Some of the elements of a recovery program for an addicted veteran are as follows:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Psychiatrist medication to help with symptoms
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and/or Prolonged Exposure (PE)
When undergoing treatment, veterans experience a much better quality of life. It’s with organizations like the VA, medical support, and awareness from the general public that we can effectively address the issue of addiction among the veteran population.
