PTSD and Substance Abuse

How are post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly referred to as PTSD, and substance abuse related to each other? Addiction is a disease that can impact anyone, regardless of race, age, or health. It is common for PTSD and substance abuse to exist side-by-side. When this is the case, individuals are said to have a co-occurring disorder when addiction and a mental health issue occur simultaneously. At Beaches Recovery, our dual diagnosis treatment can help you if you are struggling with a mental health condition and substance abuse. It is a program designed to address both conditions at the same time, so individuals experience more holistic healing.

PTSD is ubiquitous among those who have addiction issues. Understanding the relation between PTSD and substance abuse can help you live a less stressful, more successful life. PTSD and substance abuse both impact your physical and emotional wellbeing. Suffering from both conditions can make it more difficult to recover from addiction.

Having both PTSD and substance abuse requires that you receive treatment for both disorders because failing to treat one can impact your ability to recover from the other. Trauma can create significant mental health symptoms, ranging from insomnia and depression to anxiety and flashbacks. Acute Stress Disorder, or ASD, is another mental health disorder that often affects those suffering from addiction. The symptoms of trauma occasionally lead people to experiment with drugs to cope with their trauma.

PTSD and Substance Abuse

If you are struggling with PTSD and substance abuse, you may be wondering what the relation between PTSD and substance abuse is. While PTSD does not cause addiction, how PTSD impacts your day-to-day life may increase the likelihood of using drugs to cope with PTSD symptoms.

Several ways that PTSD and substance abuse are related include:

• Increased anxiety can lead to using drugs as a coping mechanism
• Lack of impulse control
• Higher levels of stress, leading to drug use as a means to cope
• Self-medicating for insomnia with drugs or alcohol
• Depression gets self-medicated with drugs or alcohol

PTSD symptoms create scenarios that make drugs an attractive way to combat and control unwanted thoughts and feelings. Flashbacks related to trauma can create another avenue that might make drug use seem beneficial to deal with PTSD. However, self-medicating often only makes these symptoms worse, and substance use can spiral into addiction.

Treating PTSD and Addiction

If you need dual diagnosis treatment for PTSD, you must make sure you receive proper treatment for your PTSD along with your addiction. Successfully managing PTSD symptoms can help you recover from addiction. Addiction treatment will help you decrease the stress and negative emotions that plague you. Properly treating your PTSD can help stabilize your mental health during recovery.

Since drug use and addiction impact brain chemistry and significantly worsen mental health disorders, it is important to work with mental health professionals throughout your recovery as your brain begins to adapt to sobriety.

Finding the Best Treatment Program for You at Beaches Recovery

Finding help for co-occurring disorders can be overwhelming, stressful, and scary. Yet Beaches Recovery offers one of the most comprehensive and customizable PTSD treatment programs. Discover how our program can be your first step in the recovery process. Throughout all our treatment programs, we offer a wide range of therapies. Individuals work alongside our counselors and therapists to design a treatment plan that not only meets the unique needs of the individual but sets them up to achieve their long-term recovery goals. Some of our therapies include:

• Equine Assisted Therapy
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR therapy
• Family Therapy Program
• Individual Counseling Services
• Individual Therapy
• Stress Reduction Therapy
• Nutrition Therapy
• Trauma Therapy
• Yoga Therapy

Beaches Recovery, a nationally recognized treatment center, has the expertise, resources, and experience to help you recover from addiction. If you would like to learn more about how our addiction treatment programs can help you or a loved one, call us today at 866.605.0532.