Addiction and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Author Laszeros Chandlerson
- Published December 6, 2011
- Word count 515
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse is the stuff of legends. Countless movies, films, television shows and books have featured the story of traumatized men and women who turn to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. Often these portrayals are done in an extremely negative light, painting sufferers of addiction and PTSD as dangerous outcasts worthy of scrutiny and even incarceration. However, these Hollywood style portrayals are rarely close to the truth. The fact of the matter is that many people suffer from both PTSD and addiction or alcoholism, and most are not dangerous in any way. Understanding why these conditions occur together so frequently is crucial to developing a long term treatment plan that will address these and any other underlying conditions present.
Post traumatic stress disorder occurs when a person has experienced an extremely traumatic event such as being the victim of sexual or other assaults, witnessing horrifying scenes like car accidents or homicides, from emotional and physical abuse and from many other severely stressful events. PTSD can also develop after the death of a loved one, and in some cases after the birth of a child. The human body responds to such high levels of stress by releasing endorphins to help deal with the pain and trauma of the event. Dual Diagnosis.ORG, an organization dedicated to creating public awareness about PTSD and addiction, wrote the following on their website:
"When an individual experiences a traumatic event, his brain creates a large amount of endorphins as a way of coping with stress of the moment. When the event is over, the body goes through a kind of "endorphin withdrawal", which carries many of the same symptoms as withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. Many of those with PTSD will turn to alcohol as a means of replacing the feelings brought on [by] endorphin withdrawal."
This means that the very process of PTSD is similar to that of addiction. Substance abuse causes a release of dopamine - a "feel good" substance created in the brain that is responsible for the euphoric high that people feel when they do drugs. Therefore, some might argue that post traumatic stress disorder actually precipitates addiction by causing a craving for the good feelings created in order to lessen the trauma of a disturbing event. However, studies indicating that sufferers of PTSD are just as likely to develop a substance problem before a traumatic event as after tell us that there's more to the relationship between these two conditions than we know.
Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder must be provided concurrently with treatment for addiction or alcoholism. In fact, due to the severity of many addictions and because some of these have the potential to be fatal, treatment of a drug or alcohol problem is seen as a basic stabilizing necessity before any other underlying issues can be addressed. Once detox and stabilization has occurred, a treatment plan will be developed using individual, group and family therapies to uncover issues and create specific plans to cope with them - without the use of drugs or alcohol.
If you need to break away from your surroundings and get help right now, click here to speak to someone at Recovery First's Florida Drug Treatment program.
Getting cold up north and you need treatment? Click here for the most effective and successful Florida Drug Rehab Center.
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- Why is SEO for businesses on the Wirral important
- Proton Mail In Vivaldi Email
- Email Deployment
- Search Engine Marketing: Unleashing Its Power for Your Business
- Squarespace email campaigns vs Mailchimp
- Squarespace email campaigns vs Mailchimp
- Commercial Cleaning Services in Auckland: A Deep Dive into Angel Cleaning
- What is CCTLD?
- Why Women of Color Need to Support Kamala Harris
- Email Extractor from CSV
- How to download Gmail email content into a CSV file.
- Is email marketing legit?
- How SEO Can Improve Your Business?
- Mitsubishi Electric proves heat pump compatibility with microbore pipework
- What makes the city of Melbourne such a unique place?
- What is the role of the Royal Society of London?
- Festive Decor with a Global Twist
- Mixer of Styles, The Boho Mid Century Farmhouse
- Explore Cape Town: Group Cape Town Tours With a Private Shuttle
- Exploring Airbnb Cleaning Service in Auckland: History, Trends, and Future Implications
- Chauffeur Car and Driver Hire Services in Cape Town
- Explore the Best Cape Town City Private Tours
- How I Watched My Manifestations Unfold in Realtime Through Tarot
- Your Go-To Lighting Store in Brampton
- Halloween makeup ideas 2024
- The two doctors who made a difference in preventing polio
- Your Guide to Cape Town Airport Transfers
- What lessons were learnt from the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis?
- Exclusive Interview with Maddox Blackstone
- The Dark Reality of Forced Prison Labor: Why I Stand Behind Proposition 6