ptsd and addiction

One of the most emotionally debilitating mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder causes intense anxiety, intrusive memories and nightmarish flashbacks that interfere with daily life. Many individuals with PTSD will turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to numb their pain or to gain some measure of control in their lives. Chronic substance abuse creates a complicated Dual Diagnosis, or the co-existence of a serious psychiatric disorder and an addictive disorder. 

The symptoms of PTSD can be divided into three general categories: 1) re-experiencing the traumatic incident, 2) avoiding experiences that evoke memories of the incident, and 3) symptoms of hyperarousal, such as irritability, anger or extreme anxiety. People who experience these symptoms for at least one month may be diagnosed with PTSD. Alcoholism and drug abuse fall into the category of avoidance symptoms, as the individual may use these chemicals to avoid memories or to numb fear.

When alcohol or drugs are used to manage PTSD symptoms, the symptoms of the disorder only become more severe. As a central nervous system depressant, alcohol can worsen depression and anxiety and interfere with normal sleep patterns. Under the influence of alcohol, someone with PTSD is more likely to engage in risk-taking behavior, such as driving under the influence, or to engage in an altercation with someone else.

The symptoms or PTSD can be extremely distressing. Because they much such a great amount of stress on the individual, many with PTSD will be unable to cope and turn to drugs or alcohol as a means of escape. This self-medication has led to very high percentages of PTSD suffers with alcohol dependence (over 50 percent) and drug dependence (over 30 percent).

Endorphin withdrawal plays a part in the use of alcohol or drugs to control PTSD. When an individual experiences a traumatic event, his or her brain produces endorphins — neurotransmitters that reduce pain and create a sense of well-being — as a way of coping with the stress of the moment. When the event is over, the body experiences an endorphin withdrawal, which has some of the same symptoms as withdrawal from drugs or alcohol:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Emotional distress
• Physical pain
• Increased cravings for alcohol or drugs

According to Alcohol Research & Health, many of those with PTSD will turn to alcohol as a means of replacing the feelings brought on by the brain’s naturally produced endorphins. But the positive effects of alcohol are only temporary.

With increased use of alcohol, the individual can become chemically dependent on the drug. He or she will need more alcohol or drugs to produce those numbing effects. Eventually, dependence can turn into addiction, which is characterized by compulsive use of the substance, tolerance to the drug and an insistence on abusing the drug in spite of its devastating effects.

Source: http://www.dualdiagnosis.org/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-and-addiction/

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Addiction is a complex disorder characterized by compulsive drug use. While each drug produces different physical effects, all abused substances share one thing in common: repeated use can alter the way the brain looks and functions.

• Taking a recreational drug causes a surge in levels of dopamine in your brain, which trigger feelings of pleasure. Your brain remembers these feelings and wants them repeated.
• If you become addicted, the substance takes on the same significance as other survival behaviors, such as eating and drinking.
• Changes in your brain interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs.
• Whether you’re addicted to inhalants, heroin, Xanax, speed, or Vicodin, the uncontrollable craving to use grows more important than anything else, including family, friends, career, and even your own health and happiness.
• The urge to use is so strong that your mind finds many ways to deny or rationalize the addiction. You may drastically underestimate the quantity of drugs you’re taking, how much it impacts your life, and the level of control you have over your drug use.

People who experiment with drugs continue to use them because the substance either makes them feel good, or stops them from feeling bad. In many cases, however, there is a fine line between regular use and drug abuse and addiction. Very few addicts are able to recognize when they have crossed that line. While frequency or the amount of drugs consumed don’t in themselves constitute drug abuse or addiction, they can often be indicators of drug-related problems.

• Problems can sometimes sneak up on you, as your drug use gradually increases over time. Smoking a joint with friends at the weekend, or taking ecstasy at a rave, or cocaine at an occasional party, for example, can change to using drugs a couple of days a week, then every day. Gradually, getting and using the drug becomes more and more important to you.
• If the drug fulfills a valuable need, you may find yourself increasingly relying on it. For example, you may take drugs to calm you if you feel anxious or stressed, energize you if you feel depressed, or make you more confident in social situations if you normally feel shy. Or you may have started using prescription drugs to cope with panic attacks or relieve chronic pain, for example. Until you find alternative, healthier methods for overcoming these problems, your drug use will likely continue.
• Similarly, if you use drugs to fill a void in your life, you’re more at risk of crossing the line from casual use to drug abuse and addiction. To maintain healthy balance in your life, you need to have other positive experiences, to feel good in your life aside from any drug use.
• As drug abuse takes hold, you may miss or frequently be late for work or school, your job performance may progressively deteriorate, and you start to neglect social or family obligations. Your ability to stop using is eventually compromised. What began as a voluntary choice has turned into a physical and psychological need.

The good news is that with the right treatment and support, you can counteract the disruptive effects of drug use and regain control of your life. The first obstacle is to recognize and admit you have a problem, or listen to loved ones who are often better able to see the negative effects drug use is having on your life.

5 Myths about Drug Abuse and Addiction

MYTH 1: Overcoming addiction is a simply a matter of willpower. You can stop using drugs if you really want to. Prolonged exposure to drugs alters the brain in ways that result in powerful cravings and a compulsion to use. These brain changes make it extremely difficult to quit by sheer force of will.

MYTH 2: Addiction is a disease; there’s nothing you can do about it. Most experts agree that addiction is a brain disease, but that doesn’t mean you’re a helpless victim. The brain changes associated with addiction can be treated and reversed through therapy, medication, exercise, and other treatments.

MYTH 3: Addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can get better. Recovery can begin at any point in the addiction process—and the earlier, the better. The longer drug abuse continues, the stronger the addiction becomes and the harder it is to treat. Don’t wait to intervene until the addict has lost it all.

MYTH 4: You can’t force someone into treatment; they have to want help. Treatment doesn’t have to be voluntary to be successful. People who are pressured into treatment by their family, employer, or the legal system are just as likely to benefit as those who choose to enter treatment on their own. As they sober up and their thinking clears, many formerly resistant addicts decide they want to change.

MYTH 5: Treatment didn’t work before, so there’s no point trying again. Recovery from drug addiction is a long process that often involves setbacks. Relapse doesn’t mean that treatment has failed or that you’re a lost cause. Rather, it’s a signal to get back on track, either by going back to treatment or adjusting the treatment approach.

Source: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatment.htm

For advice and information on substance abuse please see the following links: 

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/drugs/Pages/Drugtreatment.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/addiction/Pages/addictionhome.aspx

http://www.actiononaddiction.org.uk/Home.aspx

http://www.talktofrank.com/

http://www.addaction.org.uk/