
Dual Diagnosis Managing Alcoholism and PTSD in Veterans
Veteran alcoholism and PTSD often go hand in hand. For people living with these debilitating co-occurring disorders, finding dual-diagnosis treatment is the most effective tool you can use to achieve recovery from both disorders simultaneously.
Rather than treating a single problem in isolation, dual-diagnosis treatment addresses both conditions simultaneously. Treating both conditions helps you break free from your symptoms and build a healthier and more productive life in recovery.
Understanding Veteran Alcoholism and PTSD
Both alcohol abuse and PTSD are exceptionally common in veterans. According to a recent study, approximately 13% of veterans have an active PTSD diagnosis, with 30% of Vietnam veterans having had a PTSD diagnosis in their lifetime.[1]
Similarly, the rates of alcohol use disorder are higher for veterans than for civilians. Reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs suggest a lifetime prevalence of substance use disorder among veterans to be as high as 53%.[2] The vast majority of these substance use disorders are for alcohol use disorder specifically.
Finally, data suggests that PTSD and alcohol problems frequently happen together. The VA reports that more than 20% of veterans with PTSD have a substance use disorder and that one in three veterans seeking treatment for a substance use disorder have co-occurring PTSD.[3]
To understand why these two serious mental health conditions frequently happen together, you must understand each disorder individually and how it can affect a veteran’s life.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a debilitating mental health condition that affects veterans disproportionately. PTSD is typically triggered by a traumatic experience, such as exposure to combat, having your life threatened, sexual assault, or the loss of a friend or loved one.
Those who live through this type of traumatic event will often experience emotional and mental health consequences. Feeling numb, shocked, afraid, or anxious is completely natural. However, for some people, these symptoms can last for months or years after the event has passed, leading to a diagnosis of PTSD.
The four main categories of PTSD symptoms used to diagnose this condition include:
- Intrusive symptoms
- Avoidance symptoms
- Changes in mood and cognition
- Arousal symptoms
Veterans who have PTSD can experience any combination of these four types of symptoms. You may experience nightmares about the traumatic event or invasive memories. Avoidance symptoms can lead to you avoiding certain places, people, or things that trigger traumatic memories. Veterans can also feel as though they are left on high alert, as though they are constantly prepared for dangers that never appear.
All of this can lead to immense mental fatigue, and it can shape the way you interact with your friends, family members, or colleagues.
Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol use disorder is the term used to describe a person’s inability to stop drinking alcohol, even when they experience substantial personal and interpersonal consequences. People with an alcohol use disorder typically aren’t able to quit on their own without the help of an alcohol rehab program.
Several different terms are used to describe the drinking patterns that can lead to an alcohol use disorder. Binge drinking is a pattern of alcohol use in which the person drinks a high quantity of alcohol very quickly. Heavy drinking refers to people who consume excessive amounts over a week. However, alcohol use disorder is a diagnostic term based on a set number of symptoms that people may experience.
The symptoms of an alcohol use disorder include:
- Craving alcohol
- Growing tolerance to alcohol
- Multiple failed attempts to cut down or stop on their own
- Giving up important hobbies or activities in favor of alcohol use
- Worsening physical or mental health due to alcohol use
- Experiencing physical withdrawal if alcohol use suddenly stops
- Being unable to fulfill obligations at work, home, or school due to alcohol use
- Continued drinking despite interpersonal problems caused by drinking
- Drinking alcohol when it is dangerous to do so
- Spending inordinate amounts of time drinking, recovering from drinking, or seeking out alcohol
- Drinking more than intended or for longer than intended
Experiencing just two of these symptoms may lead to a diagnosis of a mild alcohol problem. Four or five symptoms are considered a moderate drinking problem, and six or more are considered severe.
Why Veteran Alcoholism and PTSD Commonly Co-Occur
The connection between PTSD and alcohol use disorder is relatively clear. People suffering from PTSD experience debilitating, invasive symptoms that are exceptionally hard to control without the help of a mental health professional. As such, many people turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
This way of coping can quickly turn into a destructive downward spiral. Drinking alcohol when you experience PTSD symptoms may provide some relief, but this benefit is incredibly short-lived. After the effects of alcohol wear off, PTSD symptoms can return, and in even greater severity than before.
This pattern can be incredibly difficult to break free from:
- Experiencing PTSD symptoms
- Drinking to cope with PTSD symptoms
- PTSD symptoms returning in greater severity when alcohol wears off
- People drinking more alcohol to deal with greater symptoms in a destructive cycle
This pattern can quickly lead to tolerance, meaning people need to drink more to achieve the desired effect, which in turn develops into an alcohol use disorder.
Once people have developed an alcohol use disorder in conjunction with PTSD, they develop a whole new set of mental and physical health challenges that need to be overcome to achieve recovery.
How Dual-Diagnosis Treatment Can Help Treat the Cycle Between Veteran Alcoholism and PTSD
Dual-diagnosis treatment is the best way to help veterans with co-occurring PTSD and alcohol problems. It combines the best evidence-based treatments to help people overcome substance use problems with targeted trauma treatments for PTSD relief.
This form of treatment is essential for people dealing with co-occurring disorders, as treating one problem without the other can lead to potential relapse. Treating just PTSD may leave people feeling better psychologically, but it won’t equip them with the tools to stop drinking. On the other hand, only treating alcohol use disorder can lead to people experiencing PTSD symptoms, which can trigger a drinking relapse.
A dual-diagnosis treatment center combines treatment at every level of the treatment process. While treatment plans differ for each unique client, the process could include a combination of treatments, such as:
- Targeted trauma therapies
- PTSD support groups
- 12-step facilitation
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Family therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
With these effective and evidence-based treatment options working together, our clients get all the tools they need to build lasting and healthy lives in recovery. Recovery is not just about getting sober; it’s about finding tools to overcome mental health symptoms and live a happier life.
Start Dual-Diagnosis Treatment at Silver Sands
At Silver Sands Recovery, our comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment programs have everything you or your loved one needs to achieve a lasting recovery.
Get started with dual-diagnosis treatment today by filling out our online contact form for more information. We know how difficult the first steps toward recovery can be, but your recovery is worth the effort.
Sources:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5526531/
[2] https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/news/feature/sud2023.cfm
[3] https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/related/substance_abuse_vet.asp
About the author:
Lisa Waknin is the Founder and Director of Silver Sands Recovery, located in Prescott, Arizona. Lisa started Silver Sands Recovery after immersing herself in the addiction treatment world for several years to figure out what could be done differently to help her daughter and others like her to overcome addiction and stay sober. She believes in a hands-on treatment approach, which includes taking someone out of their environment, providing a 90-day program in a structured environment. During treatment, clients not only recover physically but also learn to live their life again. Lisa is a sought-after expert speaker for recovery support groups, charities, schools, communities, and companies wanting to educate themselves on the explosion of opiate and heroin abuse in our country and the best way to understand, treat, and beat it.