PTSD and Substance Abuse Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Los Angeles

What Is PTSD?

PTSD isn’t just bad memories or nightmares after a traumatic event. That’s common when you experience something distressing. With PTSD, your body becomes stuck in survival mode, constantly braced against possible danger, even when none exists. It manifests in your thoughts, reactions, sleep patterns, relationships, and day-to-day functioning.

Though PTSD is often associated with military veterans, anyone who experiences a trauma can develop PTSD. Trauma can be part of living, but only about 1 in 10 people progress from post-traumatic stress to PTSD.[2]

Some people are at a higher risk of developing PTSD. Combat veterans and first responders have exposure to combat and traumatic events in the line of duty, significantly increasing their risk compared to civilians.[3] PTSD also disproportionately affects women because they have a higher exposure to interpersonal trauma, like sexual assault and domestic violence.[4]

Though combat exposure, abuse, disaster, and physical or sexual violence are most commonly associated with PTSD, it can arise from other types of traumatic experiences like accidents, being threatened with a weapon, getting robbed or mugged, being kidnapped or tortured, surviving a terrorist attack, or getting a life-threatening diagnosis.[5] Some people develop PTSD from witnessing a traumatic event, such as seeing someone hurt or killed, or being present for a suicide.

Certain genetic and cultural risk factors can also play a role, such as existing anxiety or depression and a lack of social support.[6] And the more trauma you’re exposed to, the more likely you are to have PTSD from subsequent trauma.

PTSD symptoms can vary, but they often include four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions.[7] Some of the symptoms of PTSD may include:[8]

• Flashbacks that you can’t control or anticipate
• Upsetting dreams or nightmares related to the trauma
• Hypervigilance, or being on edge, jumpy, or irritable, anticipating disaster
• Efforts to avoid experiences associated with trauma, such as avoiding driving after being in a car accident
• Avoiding triggers or reminders of the trauma
• Feeling guilt, shame, or other negative emotions related to the traumatic event
• Detaching from family and friends
• Failing to remember details of the traumatic event
• Sleep problems, mood swings, or panic that comes out of nowhere
• Being scared to be startled easily
• Engaging in self-destructive behavior
• Angry outbursts

Addiction and Interaction with PTSD

When you live in constant fear, anger, or shame, alcohol or drug use may seem like the only way to shut it all off and relax. But the more you rely on substances, the harder it becomes to actually heal. Drugs and alcohol may offer a short-term escape when you’re seeking safety, but they cause your brain to prioritize drugs or alcohol over time, causing cravings and worsening your symptoms.

It’s a familiar story. About half of the people struggling with PTSD also have a drug or alcohol addiction as a co-occurring disorder. If the trauma isn’t addressed in mental health and addiction treatment, your addiction recovery is threatened by a high risk of relapse. It’s not a situation you can overcome with grit and willpower.

Why Is Addiction Common with PTSD?

PTSD and addiction often co-occur. Based on a national study, 44.6% of individuals with PTSD met criteria for a substance use disorder.[9]

What’s behind the connection? There are a few overlapping factors, including self-medication. When intrusive thoughts or panic attacks hit, drugs or alcohol can feel like the only way to breathe again and stop reacting to a threat. But numbing the pain only delays the healing and increases the risk of developing an addiction.

Both PTSD and addiction have roots in trauma, stress, and genetics.[10] If you have a family history of either or have experienced a complex trauma like prolonged exposure to violence or abuse, you have an increased risk for mental health disorders and addiction.

It works the other way, too. PTSD puts you on high alert, hyperaware of any perceived threats. If you rely on alcohol or drug abuse to calm those internal alarms, you may dull them too much to notice real threats around you. This increases your risk of experiencing additional trauma, which can intensify your PTSD.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment for PTSD and Addiction in Los Angeles

When trauma and addiction have a chokehold on you, it takes more than some encouraging words and a prescription. At iRely Recovery, we use evidence-based interventions and modalities grounded in science, guided by empathy, and designed to help you face your fears.

• Individual therapy: Unfiltered individual sessions, where you don’t have to sugarcoat anything, allow you to get your feelings out in the open and work with a trained therapist to understand them.
• Family therapy: PTSD and addiction take a toll on loved ones. Family therapy is where it’s addressed, rebuilding trust and setting boundaries one hard talk at a time.
• Group therapy: You’re not the only one with scars. Group therapy connects you to people who understand trauma and addiction, giving you shared bonds to support one another.
• Trauma-informed care: We treat every symptom through the lens of your trauma. No re-traumatizing, no shame – just a place to heal without judgment.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT helps you take control of your inner dialogue and start rewriting the narrative.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): DBT focuses on taking control of your emotions when they feel like they’re controlling you, helping you stay grounded, regulated, and resilient.
• Somatic experiencing therapy: PTSD lives in your body as much as your brain. Somatic work helps you release tension, calm your nervous system, and feel safe and at ease in your own skin.
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): You can’t outrun your trauma. ACT helps you stop fighting the past and start focusing on the future you want.
• Experiential therapy: You’re holding emotions that words can’t touch. Experiential therapy utilizes various art forms, including art, movement, music, and others.
• Mindfulness-based therapy: PTSD keeps you dwelling on the past. Mindfulness brings you back to the present moment, teaching you to observe without reacting, breathe through triggers, and ground yourself in reality.
• Motivational interviewing (MI): If you’re feeling ambivalent about recovery and the treatment of PTSD and substance dependence, MI helps you explore the reasons behind your habit without adding to the pressure or guilt.