Although substance use disorders (SUDs) have become more prevalent across all populations, veterans are at a significantly higher risk due to stressors they face before, during and after military service.
Understanding the issue and its root causes can help both struggling veterans and their families find ways to get the care they need.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1 in 10 veterans seeking care meets the diagnostic criteria for an SUD. The following are some of the biggest contributing factors to substance abuse issues in veterans:
For many veterans without a strong support system, substances become an unhealthy means of coping with trauma or mental illness.
Most veterans with SUDs also struggle with a co-occurring mental illness, which can often fuel the substance misuse. For example, 63% of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans who had SUDs also met diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And in general, more than 20% of veterans with PTSD also struggle with an SUD.
Other common co-occurrences among veterans with SUDs include:
Although modern medicine has made it possible for more service members to survive severe injuries than ever in history, many of these men and women are left with lasting physical consequences.
According to the Military Health System, 9.1% of veterans have reported dealing with extreme pain, which is a 40% higher rate than in non-veterans. The rate is even higher for survivors of more recent conflicts — according to the Veterans Health Administration (VA), nearly half of the veterans seeking treatment after the second Gulf War were diagnosed with a chronic pain disorder within one year of their return.
Many of those pain patients developed iatrogenic use disorders as the result of extended treatment using prescription opioids, which has become significantly more common among military doctors.
Returning to civilian life after military service is difficult for most veterans, especially those who experienced deployment-related trauma. Some of the challenges veterans often face when leaving the service include:
To cope with these challenges, some veterans turn to substances.
According to the most recent Health Related Behaviors Study (HRBS), which is the essential survey for understanding the well-being of our armed forces, substance misuse is significantly more common in veterans than in active duty service members. That said, it's important to note that the HRBS relies on self-reported data, and response rates for these studies are typically low, often due to factors like negative mental health stigmas or fear of social implications. The true numbers may be very different from what we see in these surveys.
The three most commonly misused substances among veterans include:
Substance misuse and addiction can have serious consequences for veterans and their loved ones, such as:
Unfortunately, many veterans do not seek help due to the stigma surrounding treatment, especially within the military community. Receiving assistance should never be seen as a weakness or personal failure, as it will only improve your quality of life.
Remember that you're never alone in this fight. We urge you to get help if you're struggling with addiction or other substance misuse issues.
Behavioral therapies and counseling are often the most effective ways to treat SUDs in veterans, as they can help present healthy alternatives to substance use during times of stress. For those dealing with co-occurring PTSD and SUD, trauma-focused psychotherapies are typically the best option for processing and dealing with their experiences.
Whether you're seeking help for yourself or a loved one, recovery is possible with time and proper treatment — and that's our mission at Diamond House Detox. We offer a Veterans' Program that is run exclusively by veterans, so clients can work with people who know firsthand what they've been through.
Our team of providers also has extensive experience in treating co-occurrences of SUD and mental illness, which can help provide veterans with coping strategies they can use to manage their symptoms without turning to substances.
Service members shoulder an immense burden both during and after their time in the military, and finding a treatment center that understands that burden is often challenging. At Diamond House, we take a comprehensive personal approach to substance use treatment that aims to help our clients successfully reintegrate into civilian life.
Get the help you need from people who understand. Reach out today to learn more about our treatment methods and programs.
