Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the leading causes of substance abuse in the world. People who suffer from PTSD but don’t seek professional help often turn to drugs for relief. Even after they get treatment, they might relapse if they don’t have the support of a PTSD treatment center to deal with triggers. What are some PTSD triggers that can cause individuals to relapse?
How Do PTSD and Addiction Relate?
Both PTSD and addiction are types of mental disorders. Once the brain develops a mental disorder it becomes increasingly likely that it will develop another. As a result, people who struggle with PTSD are at risk of developing an addiction if they don’t seek help.
To make matters worse, most people who suffer from PTSD don’t seek medical assistance. Instead, they try to self-medicate the problem. Unfortunately, the drugs that they take only provide temporary relief. In order to keep getting relief, they continue to abuse drugs, which eventually transforms into a full-blown drug addiction.
Common PTSD Triggers
A good PTSD treatment center knows the most common triggers of PTSD. Its goal is to teach people about these triggers so that they can avoid them. Because of that, they can prevent a PTSD relapse.
First, it’s important to understand how PTSD develops. During traumatic events, the brain goes into survival mode and prepares to either flee, fight or freeze. During this survival mode, certain functions of the brain stop in order to deal with the threat. For example, short-term memory doesn’t always work correctly.
However, the brain can sometimes fail to process trauma properly. When that happens, it doesn’t always file the memory of that event. As a result, people might feel distressed even when they don’t face a threat. With that said, the brain still retains some of the memories of the incident.
These memories often turn into triggers. Smell, sound and visual stimuli can all be PTSD triggers. A PTSD treatment facility and trauma therapy can help people reprocess their memories so that these triggers don’t always cause PTSD episodes. As a result, people stop having traumatic experiences when there’s no threat.
Many other things can trigger PTSD too. For example, people who suffer sexual abuse might have episodes when they see the people who abused them. In addition, feelings can be triggers. Because of that, it’s often hard for people to figure out everything that triggers their PTSD response.
The key to learning all of the triggers is to look for signs of panic attacks. Once these triggers set off PTSD episodes, people typically experience panic. Over time, they link these attacks to certain triggers.
Visit Us Today for Addiction and PTSD Help
At Santé Center, we provide addiction and detox recovery services. Using our dual diagnosis program, we help people address the root cause of addiction. Our programs include treatment to overcome PTSD triggers. Beyond dual diagnosis treatment, we offer programs such as:
- Residential treatment
- Individualized counseling
- Addiction detox programs
- Intensive outpatient program
- Transitional living programs
Don’t let PTSD lead you to alcohol and drug abuse. Learn your PTSD triggers and regain control over your life. Reach out to us today at 866.238.3154 to learn more.
