Sometimes, the mind finds ways to cope with memories it can’t seem to push into oblivion – though it desperately wishes it could. These ways might seem a bit reckless, yet to someone who’s been grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they feel like a brief, much-needed release from their daily struggles. Why substance use feels like an escape from PTSD is something that goes beyond logic or judgment. In people who are coping with the symptoms of the condition, there’s a desperate need to shut down all that noise, to quiet the haunting, everyday flashes of trauma, and that’s where it starts. To phrase it differently, substance use, for many, is less about seeking euphoria and more about seeking silence.
What is PTSD?
Regardless of what various pop-culture narratives emphasize, PTSD isn’t a condition that only affects Vietnam veterans, nor does it strictly affect people who’ve been to war. Trauma doesn’t discriminate – it finds people in unexpected places. However, many fail to recognize the warning signs, which creates perfect conditions for the issue to escalate.
Defined clinically, PTSD is a mental health disorder triggered by experiencing or witnessing terrifying events. Symptoms may include intrusive memories, avoidance behavior, negative changes in thinking, and heightened reactions. These signs, as ordinary as they might sound on paper, are anything but when they claw into the psyche and refuse to let go. The sense of powerlessness that comes with it can cloud our judgment and often won’t let us embrace support without stigma. Raising awareness regarding PTSD is important because, even though society has come a long way, the busy lifestyle of today still leaves little room for thorough introspection without prejudice.
Why Substance Use Feels like an Escape From PTSD
It starts innocently enough – a drink, a pill, maybe something stronger. For a moment, everything fades: the tightness in the chest, the nights you’ve spent with eyes wide open, the constant on-edge feeling that something terrible is always just about to happen. PTSD affects approximately 3.6% of U.S. adults and, therefore, shouldn’t be taken lightly. The mind craves this release. It longs for this brief respite from the ever-persistent pain of trauma.
PTSD and Substance Abuse
Unfortunately, it’s almost common knowledge that individuals with PTSD are highly vulnerable to substance use and abuse. Patients frequently use alcohol and drugs to alleviate their PTSD symptoms. This behavior, described in the study as self-medication, underscores a strong, albeit temporary, relief from overwhelming distress.
The prevalence of substance use disorders among PTSD sufferers is alarmingly high, and it often complicates the course of treatment. A cyclical relationship is often in place where substance abuse intensifies PTSD symptoms and strengthens further dependence. Therefore, today, there’s a high demand for comprehensive, integrated treatment approaches to address both PTSD and substance abuse concurrently.
Why is Substance Use so Common Among People who Suffer from PTSD?
Imagine you’re carrying a weight, an invisible one, day after day. You wake up with it, eat with it, try to sleep with it. If you’re battling PTSD, this weight is called trauma, and it’s replaying itself over and over again. Substances offer a way out of this vicious cycle, a way to feel different, to break the chains of trauma keeping you tied up. For some, it’s the only way they’ve found to make it through the day. There’s a sense of control – when nothing else seems manageable, at least this feels like something you’re able to hold onto. But that control is fleeting, and often, it comes at a cost they can’t foresee until they’re in too deep.
The Science Behind it All
Below the surface of substance use and abuse lies an intricate web of brain chemistry and emotional regulation. The relationship between PTSD and substance use and abuse is rooted in how trauma messes with the brain’s normal functioning. When a person consumes substances, especially alcohol or drugs (like opioids), they affect the brain’s reward system – dopamine and serotonin. They’re what you’d call the usual suspects.
Trauma leaves the mind in a constant state of high alert. It makes the brain unable to regulate stress hormones like cortisol effectively. Substances, then, provide a shortcut – a way to restore a sense of peace, albeit artificially. For someone whose baseline is chaos, this calm induced by substances feels very much like survival. But it’s not real, and the body quickly begins to build tolerance. Soon, more is needed to achieve that same tranquil state, and the person spirals. What begins as an escape turns into dependence; it locks the person in a vicious cycle where the substance becomes both the problem and the solution.
Treating PTSD and Substance Abuse at the Same Time
Treating PTSD alongside substance use disorder isn’t the simplest task out there, but it’s an essential one. These two conditions often coexist, each feeding the other. This is where dual diagnosis and concurrent disorder treatment come in – it’s not enough to treat the addiction alone or the PTSD alone. Both need to be addressed simultaneously in order for a person to heal.
Treating one condition while ignoring the other feels much like trying to build a house on a cracked foundation. Yes, you can fix the walls and paint them beautifully, but the structure won’t hold. The same goes for treating PTSD and substance use. To address one without the other leaves cracks – cracks where trauma can slip back in and where substances can feel, once again, like the only escape.
The Treatment Objectives Patients Should Focus On
Treatment involves therapy, often a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medications designed to regulate mood and stress responses. In these controlled settings, people learn healthier ways to cope with their trauma. While sobriety is one of the main goals, the biggest objective of treatment is to establish a sense of well-being in patients, build resilience, and create a lifestyle where substances are no longer welcome as a means of escape.
Conclusion
Why substance use feels like an escape from PTSD is tied to something more fundamental than addiction – it’s about survival, about finding a way to endure the unendurable. But the escape is merely an illusion, a fleeting reprieve from pain that, over time, only helps deepen the wound. The road to overcoming many life’s obstacles, including PTSD and substance abuse, even though difficult in every sense of the word, is far from impossible.
Author’s bio:
Joe Tranchida is a freelance writer and mental health advocate from New Jersey. His mission in life is to blend research with some personal insights to challenge stigma and promote a deeper understanding of people who’ve been through trauma.
References:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4928573/
https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/concurrent-disorders