Behavioral interventions for AUD include providing psychoeducation on addiction, teaching healthy coping skills, improving interpersonal functioning, bolstering social support, increasing motivation and readiness to change, and fostering treatment compliance. Since the late 1970s, several U.S. surveys have collected information on mental health ptsd and alcohol abuse conditions, including AUD, SUD, and PTSD. These surveys include the Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) program, the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), and the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Sexual problems, such as avoiding being intimate and feeling decreased desire for sex with a partner may occur.
Understanding the Link Between Trauma and Substance Abuse
The valuable hints and tips that follow are a result of our partnership with SoberBuzz, aimed at empowering you on your path to well-being. Research reveals that individuals with PTSD are almost four times more likely to develop Alcohol Usage Disorders compared to those without PTSD. Military personnel and Veterans with co-occurring PTSD and addiction require treatment from providers that are skilled at treating both disorders. Additionally, American Addiction Centers (AAC) understands the specific challenges faced by military members and Veterans, and many of our treatment centers offer programming specifically tailored to the unique needs of Veterans and their families. Some survivors of trauma and those who struggle with their substance use benefit from group therapy or peer support in their recovery.
Medications with Novel Mechanisms of Action that target both Alcohol Use Outcomes and PTSD
- Learn about sexual assault in adults, including facts that counter false beliefs about it.
- Your journey toward sobriety is a courageous and empowering one, and you are not alone.
- Consider activities like organising a drawer, giving your home a quick clean, enjoying a refreshing shower, taking a brisk walk, planning your meals, or engaging in physical somatic movement (dance around the kitchen, go for a run, do some exercise).
- Consider alternatives like going out for dinner, brunch, or enjoying non-drinking-friendly activities such as a trip to the cinema or a live sports event.
In addition, incorporation of prolonged exposure did not lead to increased rates of treatment dropout or relapse. Although preliminary, the findings support the feasibility of integrating prolonged exposure into residential SUD treatment facilities (see Henslee & Coffey, 2010). Despite the contradictory results, this review suggests that individuals with AUD and comorbid PTSD can safely be prescribed medications used in non-comorbid populations and patients improve with treatment. In many cases, those with PTSD may resort to alcohol to cope with symptoms they find unbearable. While alcohol initially offers a sense of relief, it eventually compounds the problem, trapping individuals in a cycle of trauma, alcohol usage disorders, and deteriorating mental health.
Military Members and Veterans with PTSD and SUD
Other issues that may have extra-medication bearing on findings include the different treatment settings noted across studies. As mentioned above, studies have been conducted at VA settings with male patients who have experienced combat, while others are in predominately female civilian https://ecosoberhouse.com/ populations, limiting the ability to compare findings across studies. The final RCT was a 4-week inpatient study conducted with 53 individuals with PTSD and AD (Kwako et al. 2015). This was a proof of concept study evaluating the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist aprepitant.
Behavioral Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Werner and colleagues (2016) utilized a large dataset of almost 4,000 women to examine comparative differences in alcohol use patterns, AUD prevalence, and the relationship between trauma and AUD among European American (EA) and African American (AA) women. EA women were found to be more likely than their AA counterparts to use alcohol and to develop AUD. In contrast, AA women were more likely than their EA counterparts to experience trauma and to develop PTSD. There were connections between exposure to specific traumas (most commonly sexual and physical abuse) and increased risk of early alcohol initiation and subsequent development of AUD, although these connections were only observed among EA women. Further research is needed to better understand the findings and to identify factors that are related to the development of AUD in AA women. The authors emphasized that even though AUD was found to be less common in AA women as compared to EA women, AUD is still prevalent and problematic among AA women.
The recent evidence showing improvement in PTSD positively impacting substance use outcomes clearly supports a more rigorous approach to assessing and treating PTSD among patients with SUDs. It is important to note that, at present, the variables which may predict a more favorable response to integrated treatment (including patient, trauma, or substance related variables) are unclear. In addition, clinicians should consider the functional relationship between PTSD and SUD symptoms for each patient. Currently, COPE is being evaluated versus standard cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention in a randomized controlled trial among OEF/OIF Veterans. Since its inception, the intervention has been modified to address all substances of abuse and currently consists of 12 individual, 90-minute sessions that include a substance abuse and PTSD component (Back et al., 2012; Killeen, Back, & Brady, 2011). In vivo exposures are now conducted in sessions 3–11 and imaginal exposures in sessions 4–11.
Childhood Trauma and Alcohol
Greater attention to members of our society who disproportionately bear the burden of trauma exposure, PTSD and comorbid AUD is warranted. As discussed in the papers presented in this virtual issue, this includes members of racial and ethnic communities as well as military service members and veterans. Data from the Werner et al., (2017) paper suggest that the existing etiological models of AUD development, as well as risk and protective factors, may be different based on racial/ethnic background. A better understanding of AUD etiology among racial/ethnic minority individuals is an important and necessary next step in the development of effective interventions. More rigorous research has been conducted with Seeking Safety (SS), a non exposure-based, manualized cognitive behavioral intervention for comorbid PTSD and SUDs (e.g., Najavits, 1998; Hien et al., 2004; 2008; additional studies summarized in Table 2). SS is a 24 session manualized therapy that prioritizes establishing and maintaining safety.
Consider alternatives like going out for dinner, brunch, or enjoying non-drinking-friendly activities such as a trip to the cinema or a live sports event. If you fear peer pressure might be overwhelming, it’s perfectly acceptable to decline invitations. As you progress in your alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced journey, you’ll find that navigating social situations becomes easier.
Because efficacy may be different in those with comorbid conditions, treatments for multi-morbidities need to be tested empirically. To begin, two systematic reviews discuss the current state of behavioral (Simpson et al., 2017) and pharmacological (Petrakis & Simpson, 2017) treatments for comorbid AUD/PTSD. The Simpson et al. (2017) article extends prior reviews of behavioral treatments for AUD/PTSD by considering whether comparison treatment conditions are matched to the experimental treatment condition on time and attention, and by reporting on alcohol and drug use outcomes separately when possible. The Petrakis and Simpson (2017) review of pharmacological treatments is specific to the comorbidity of PTSD and AUD, as compared to other substance use disorders, and it includes several more recently published randomized controlled trials that are not included in prior reviews on this topic. These interventions are flexible and can be applied in individual or group therapy formats.
- If you notice an increase in your substance use following a traumatic event, your substance use may be related to the trauma.
- It can include things like being grabbed or touched, as well as intercourse, being forced to perform sex acts, oral, or anal sex.
- Finally, two studies in this virtual issue focus on military personnel and veterans.
- All kinds of people can suffer sexual assault, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or age.