What is the connection between PTSD and alcohol?
Many individuals who have been exposed to extremely traumatic or life -threatening events are developing symptoms of anxiety commonly related to post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although military struggle is often associated with PTSD, traumatic events may also include sexual or physical attacks; serious accidents; terrorist attacks; Or natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes or floods. PTSD and alcohol abuse are commonly paired. The probability varies depending on the nature and severity of the traumatic event, but the research shows that a person experiencing symptoms of PTSD is much more likely to abuse alcohol. Drinking alcohol could portray anxiety related to PTSD for a short time, but chronic alcohol intoxication usually worsens the symptoms of PTSD.
During the traumatic event, most people feel strong emotions. One could worry about his life when he was forced to witness things that are terrible. Someone in the throat of life threatensCrushes will be more likely to feel helpless and feel loss of control of his own life.
For many people, these strong emotions retreat after the events and natural post -traumatic anxiety will scatter over time. However, PTSD suffers from symptoms of weeks, months or even years after a traumatic event, and these symptoms with anxiety usually get worse, not better as time goes. Symptoms of PTSD may include episodes of event revival, flashbacks, problems with concentration, angry explosions or sleep disorders such as insomnia or nightmares. He could also consciously or unconsciously avoid anyone or anything that could cause memories of a traumatic event. Some suffering PTSD will find little joy of activities that they could enjoy before, and perhaps they could not have positive or loving feelings towards other people, causing them to avoid relationships completely.
people who havePTSD, often have other problems with their symptoms of PTSD, such as employment instability, physical illness or feelings of shame or despair, but the most common collaborators are alcohol or drug abuse. In particular, alcohol is used by many PTSD patients to relieve or at least to compress their symptoms of PTSD. Although some people who have PTSD are chronic alcoholics or everyday drinkers, studies have shown that the disproportionate number is drinkers. PTSD drinkers are reactive; They drink large amounts of alcohol as a direct response to the triggered captivity episode.
on the surface, PTSD and alcohol could seem like pairing the problem with the solution, but the relationship is actually a problem with a problem. The PTSD drinker could consume alcohol to reassure its hyperaldate nerves, but the result is at best only a temporary dullness induced by alcohol. PTSD suffering could be self-cheed with alcohol to sleep, alcohol alcohol actually results in sleepingk, which is less calm or refreshing. The use of alcohol is another form of avoidance, so alcohol makes a figurative co -trustee with other PTSD symptoms.
rather than cure anything when PTSD and alcohol are mixed, problems are enhanced. The combination of PTSD and alcohol causes emotional wounds to fester, not healing. Although alcohol can temporarily alleviate the symptoms of PTSD, alcohol withdrawal can increase and intensify these symptoms. In this way, the suffering PTSD is trapped in a vicious cycle - it must continue drinking to prevent the intensification of PTSD symptoms after an alcoholic shift. Of course, alcoholism brings with it its own set of health and social problems, and many of them are just as bad, not worse than the PTSD.
Successful treatment of alcohol co-alcohol co-alcohol requires both problems to be treated together or at least simultaneously. Treatment most often includes education, treatment, medicines and support groups. Research has shown that cognitive behavioralTherapy (CBT), especially exposure therapy, is the most effective type of advice for PTSD treatment. Cognitive therapy brings a traumatic incident to the surface and reveals it so that its memory can fade.