Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Addiction

January 11th, 2010 | Author: admin

To speak to an addiction counselor call 1-877-744-3536

Many people are exposed to high levels of trauma on a near daily basis, Doctors, nurses, firemen, policemen, people in the military and paramedics all fall into this category. Addiction Rehabilitation Help for such individuals that suffer from PTSD can be tricky.

What makes drug rehab for professionals such as this so difficult is that their very careers contribute to their desire to self medicate. Think of the emergency room of a hospital and how stressful the environment can be to doctors and nurses. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is common among healthcare workers and other professionals because they are exposed to the very worst of human tragedies; and they are exposed very often.

Not only is alcohol and substance abuse a worrisome occurrence among these professionals; it’s a threat to public safety. An impaired surgeon or nurse could theoretically injure or accidentally kill a patient if under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Those who rescue others in danger likewise could make a serious mistake that could cost civilian lives. Impaired police officers and firefighters for example have to make quick decisions at times. When under the influence public safety is threatened.

Accessibility might make treatment difficult for people with PTSD. Healthcare professionals for example have access and it’s not uncommon for their peers to “look the other way” or to even enable them to use drugs. Doctors can write prescriptions for other doctors and nurses and so forth. Not to mention that although inventory is taken regularly, small amounts missing might not be noticed or even recorded. Also people diagnosed with PTSD are able to get many different prescriptions from their medical professionals such as anxiety medication that are very addictive as well.

What is the best drug rehab or drug addiction treatment for these professionals? By far the best strategy is individualized treatment that begins early after a particularly traumatic event. Since substance abuse and addiction starts out very slowly and progresses over time with such professionals the best cure, so to speak, is prevention. When counseling is sought early on, many of the pitfalls can be avoided that plague those who never received specialized counseling after experiencing traumatic events.

More than one type of treatment strategy may be needed in order to cover the broad scope of events and issues that face those in healthcare and other public service careers. PTSD is a complex disorder that, if left untreated for long, can take many years to overcome and often leads to drug addiction. In the cases that lead to addiction, addiction rehab treatment is absolutely necessary, not only to save the professional who is addicted, but also for the welfare of those who they interact with every day.

PTSD is not limited to these professionals; many people have suffered tragic events in their lives from abuse to accidents, events such as this can also lead to PTSD. Finding the right Addiction Rehab Center for someone with PTSD is critical, not all rehab centers deal with the individual needs of each addict. For more information on PTSD and Addiction Rehab Help please call and speak to an addiction counselor today.

Call 1-877-744-3536

Or fill in the form below and a professional addiction counselor will contact you.