Addiction is a prevalent problem among many adults, but many of those who struggle with alcohol, substances, or tobacco can also experience mental health concerns that could worsen their addictive tendencies. It is estimated that 25-45% of people experience PTSD and addiction concurrently. Dealing with mental health concerns can lead people to seek mood-enhancing drugs or substances like alcohol and other drugs. People with PTSD specifically may experience flashbacks, accompanied by depression or self-confidence issues, which could cause people to rely on drugs or alcohol to cope. This blog will explore how PTSD and addiction can often go hand in hand.
The Connection Between Trauma And Substance Use
Traumatic and stressful situations can cause long-term effects on your mental health. Those who experience trauma may feel more vulnerable, experience high stress, or have intrusive thoughts that make it hard to cope with life situations. Anxiety and depression may be heightened after a traumatic experience, which could push people to seek something to improve their mood and behavior. Seeking more endorphins and dopamine from substances or alcohol is often seen as a solution for those dealing with bad mental health.
Trauma changes the makeup of your brain, decreasing coping skills, increasing irritability, and impacting decision-making. Adding substances on top of this can decrease a person’s ability to calmly respond to stressors or impulses. Research has shown that having an addiction on top of PTSD can make your stress symptoms worse.
Mood Swings Or Behavior Changes
PTSD can cause irritability, depression, anger, and anxiety to worsen. With a traumatic experience, your brain can be impacted in multiple ways, including damage to your mood control. Although some mood swings will be normal after being diagnosed with PTSD, coping with them through alcohol or substances is not the best course of action. Addictive substances can worsen your symptoms and lead to more risky behaviors and erratic moods.
Intrusive Thoughts
One persistent symptom of PTSD is the recurrent and unwanted thoughts, including flashbacks to the trauma itself. Dealing with intrusive thoughts and flashbacks can be taxing, affecting your sleep, relationships, work, and much more. It may seem appealing to help numb the reminders and flashbacks with alcohol or substances, but it can worsen your symptoms. PTSD can feel extremely overwhelming and hard to cope with on your own. Addiction is common in those who experience PTSD because they need to find a way to numb intrusive thoughts and function in daily life without the reminder.
How Can Co-Occurring PTSD And Substance Abuse Be Treated?
If you want to seek help for your PTSD and addiction, it is never too late. There are medications and therapies that can be used to help you overcome stress, flashbacks, reliance on substances, and withdrawal symptoms. Medications can help ease cravings and desires for substances like opioids or alcohol. Some medications include Buprenorphine, Methadone, Naltrexone, and Lofexidine. Using these medications can help block the side effects of substances or ease the withdrawal symptoms.
Psychotherapies are also helpful for healing your brain and boosting your coping skills. There are many types of therapy that can help with stress, PTSD, and other trauma. Exposure-based therapies, Cognitive processing therapy, and Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing can help you heal from trauma without the need for harsh substances.
Seek Group Support
When it comes to addiction, seeking group support and group therapy can help push you to stick with sobriety. Group therapy is helpful for many patients who struggle with addiction to hear stories from others who have also walked the road to recovery. A support group will also understand your unique feelings around addiction, PTSD, or other mental health disorders and can provide more quality advice than those who have never experienced it.
Treatment And Support From Red Willow Counseling And Recovery
Red Willow Counseling and Recovery offers help with many different mental health concerns and addiction recovery. Our team is passionate about helping everyone have better coping skills, deal with life changes, and overcome addiction. Our therapy can help you overcome stressors and navigate the challenges that life brings with ease. Red Willow is skilled in working with different patients, helping them form new habits, and reducing the likelihood of relapse. No one is beyond help, even if you feel like your addiction or PTSD is too difficult to overcome. Reach out to our team to schedule a consultation or meet with some of our team members and see if we are a good fit for you.
