Post-traumatic stress disorder and other forms of trauma often result in co-occurring addiction or substance abuse.
Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused substances for people who are struggling to cope with the effects of trauma. An analgesic as well as a depressant, alcohol has a numbing effect on the mind, the body, and the spirit. Drinking can be cathartic for people who are in deep emotional pain until the drinking itself becomes a source of emotional pain. Coping with alcohol is ultimately ineffective but serves a purpose. Alcohol inhibits sensory motor functions, cognition, and the nervous system, which can feel like a welcomed relief in a trauma-affected body. Alcohol also produces a sense of euphoria, though this effect wears off over time as the mind and body become increasingly chemically addicted. Feeling an escape from the reality of trauma, intoxication from alcohol can rapidly become a sought-after state of existence. Alcoholism is commonly co-occurring with trauma symptoms.
Marijuana
Marijuana is touted as a medical treatment option for PTSD due to its medicinal healing properties. Ultimately, marijuana is a psychoactive drug with psychoactive effects which results in a state of intoxication. The diagnosis of “marijuana use disorder” is relatively new, but was not born out of popularity. Instead, the diagnosis of a dependency issue wit marijuana was born out of necessity so mental health professionals would be better equipped to provide treatment. Arguably a hallucinogen, marijuana can cause dissociative effects, visualizations, euphoria, and a disconnect from sensory motor functions. Individuals seeking to cope with trauma might find solace in the fact that marijuana is natural and relatively unharmful. Once they become chemically and emotionally dependent, however, they realize how harmful it can be to have to live addicted to a substance.
Opiates
Opiate addiction can include prescription narcotic painkillers, synthetic opiates, codeine, morphine, and heroin. Many stories of addiction to opiates start with a traumatic event or injury which lead to an invasive surgery or damaging injury. Though many new laws and regulations are going into place, until recently, opiates have been largely prescribed for nearly any physical ailment- severe and non-severe. While being treated for physical trauma, the analgesic and euphoric effects of opiates provide a relief for mental trauma, without treating the actual problem. Becoming addicted to the euphoric escape, addiction to opiates can be fatal. Most recent reports of 2016 indicate that nearly 64,000 individuals lost their lives to opiate overdose.
You can live life with confidence. Everyone has a story before they come to treatment. When you arrive at The Guest House Ocala, you arrive to open, welcoming arms. Our treatment programs are customized concierge style to meet your every unique need in order to heal from trauma, addictions, and other related mental health issues. Call us today for information on life at the estate: 1-855-483-7800