The Link Between PTSD and Drug Use

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What is PTSD?

PTSD is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health disorder caused by a traumatic experience in a person’s life. Experiences that can cause PTSD include childhood abuse, sexual abuse, car accidents, military combat, violent assault, natural disasters, or acts of terrorism. Signs and symptoms of PTSD may be one or more of the following:

  • Nightmares and trouble sleeping
  • Flashbacks (physical and mental) or intense memories
  • Reliving the trauma
  • Behavioral changes, easily irritated, angered or triggered into a violent reaction
  • Distancing from friends and family, avoidance of social interaction
  • Social anxiety or avoidance of going out in public

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is often diagnosed with co-occurring disorders or mental health issues including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. It is important to understand the cause of these disorders to treat them effectively. At Fresh Start of California, we treat our patients on a case-by-case basis, and we understand that we must not only treat for the substance abuse but also the cause of the abuse.

Contact the team of Orange County detox and rehab professionals at Fresh Start of California if you are struggling with drug or alcohol use. Call us today!

Co-Occurring Disorders: PTSD and Substance Abuse

Many believe that PTSD sufferers use drugs or alcohol to self-medicate, in hopes of numbing the pain and stress involved with PTSD. Military veterans and women who suffered sexual abuse or rape are at high risk for this type of self-medicating. With this in mind, it is no surprise that drug or alcohol use and abuse are considered avoidance symptoms of PTSD.

This symptom may be linked to endorphin withdrawal after a traumatic event. The body reacts to an experience of trauma with a release of endorphins to endure the event itself. Unfortunately, after the event(s) our body often produces fewer “feel-good” chemicals, thus making it harder to feel normal as well as harder to numb the pain of the experience. Drug and alcohol come into play when a person desires to escape the pain and stress, or the behavioral changes, using drugs and/or alcohol as their numbing mechanism. The repeated attempt to numb the pain results in the development of dependence builds a tolerance to the substance and creates abuse.

Addiction and PTSD

An addict’s brain becomes dependent on the substance of their choice to feel “normal” and avoid the sickness that comes with withdrawals. The symptoms of addiction, withdrawal, and PTSD tend to overlap, making it hard for sufferers to understand their symptoms and combat them effectively alone. Professional treatment involves finding the root of the addiction, understanding the symptoms of PTSD, and incorporating treatment for all mental health issues while rewiring the brain to rely on itself rather than drug or alcohol.

Inpatient and outpatient facilities like Fresh Start of California can work with you to treat both addiction and PTSD at the same time so that every patient has a chance at returning to a life they want to live. We want you to feel confident in your care plan. Our Orange County doctor, nurses, rehabilitation experts, and onsite teams create individual treatment plans for each patient’s needs. It is our goal to work together with our patients to build the solid foundation of a new life after addiction, one that includes symptom management of PTSD or other mental health disorders.

Trust Fresh Start of California with your detox and rehabilitation needs in Orange County. Our team is here for you. Contact us to start your treatment today.

How to Help a Loved One with Addiction

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Orange County Rehabilitation Specialists Provide Tips for Help

If your family member or loved one is suffering in the depth of addiction, it is critical to know the difference between control and pressure versus influence and support. Pressure, control, and change by force is not possible in addiction. Neither the addict nor the loved one is in control in this situation, the substance is truly the one in charge. We cannot force change or trick a loved one into quitting. A better, more effective approach is to offer support and influence via positive reinforcement, information on programs and support groups, and consistent boundaries.

The team of Orange County rehabilitation professionals at Fresh Start of California understands the mental and emotional toll that addiction takes on loved ones. We know that you need support and help as much as the addict. Our team is here as a resource to you and your loved one, and we can help you find a treatment program that will best fit your family member, spouse, or friend who needs professional help. Let our recovery team be the professional support that your loved one needs, so you can get some peace of mind.

Contact Fresh Start of California today to discuss treatment options in Orange County.

5 Ways to Help a Loved One with Addiction

You may think that helping a loved one with addiction involves offering money, housing, and entering into an “enabling” relationship, but that is not the case. There are very important ways to help your loved one without becoming codependent or enabling.

The top 5 ways to help your loved one suffering from addiction are:

  1. Be consistent. Consistent rules, expectations, promises, consequences, and boundaries will help your loved one feel safe and cared for. Also, consistency and rigid rules will help you not to enable.
  2. Be optimistic. Optimism, while being realistic, is important in maintaining sanity while dealing with the aftermath of binges, psychosis, withdrawals, and other negative aspects of using. Whether faith-based or fact-based, find something to keep thinking positive outside of the addiction relationship.
  3. Be encouraging. Use different types of encouragement from physical (hugs, physical presence) to emotional and mental encouragement. Verbally encouraging an addict when he or she is feeling down can make a difference, even if you don’t seem to get a reaction.
  4. Be educated. Inform yourself so that you know the truth about addiction, what it looks like, and how it affects users and their loved ones. Educate yourself on codependency and the signs of enabling so that you can be prepared and avoid making a situation worse.
  5. Be assertive. When addressing the issue, do not sugarcoat or tiptoe, be assertive and straightforward. Do not mask the effects of addiction from the addict. Ignoring the issue of addiction will not make it go away.

A bonus tip, that is equally important as all of the others, is to take care of yourself. Be sure to eat, drink water, and get adequate sleep while caring for and supporting an addicted loved one. It sounds cliché but practicing self-care is important when you are dealing with the stress, fear, and unknowns of dealing with addiction.

Addicts and Loved Ones Both Need Help

It is not uncommon for loved ones of addicts to need some sort of help themselves. Whether you require counseling, codependency therapy, or any other support, there is help out there. Our addiction and rehabilitation team at Orange County’s Fresh Start of California has access to excellent resources and recovery programs for you and your loved one. Let us help you make a difference in your loved one’s life.

Contact Fresh Start of California today to learn about detox and addiction recovery solutions.