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Veterans Substance Abuse Help and Information

A recent study by the Department of Defense revealed that 1.3 percent of active-duty personnel admitted to prescription drug misuse in the past 12 months.

  • The overall prevalence of illicit drug use among veterans was over 10 percent.

Soldiers with dependency issues are likely to carry these problems into their civilian lives.

Veteran’s 24 Hr. Helpline – 1-800-273-8255 (click to call)

The Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA) now has a website dedicated to substance abuse and the VA federal agency’s resources.

Through the VA, veterans can access some of the following services:

  • Medically treated detox
  • Substitute therapies for opiate addiction, medicines such as methadone and buprenorphine
  • Residential and outpatient treatment for addiction
  • Marriage and family counseling
  • Relapse prevention therapies

Here are links to access substance abuse services through the Veteran’s Administration

Veterans and their families need to apply for VA healthcare to ensure access to any necessary treatment resources.

  • NOTE: veterans discharged for dependency or addiction issues are often ineligible for these benefits due to VA regulations.

In these cases, it’s that much more critical that local communities take responsibility for the women and men that served, only to return worse off than when they left. Local veterans organizations are an excellent first place for vets who lack access to addiction treatment and other mental health issues.

Veterans have the highest rate of suicides among any demographic in America. According to Wikipedia, 20 veterans commit suicide every day. Their risk of suicide is about 22 percent higher than nonveteran peers. So it is according to a report last year from the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to the Chicago Tribune, here is a list of possible reasons why the suicide rate is high.

Rather than simply thanking troubled veterans for their service and moving on, community leaders, healthcare providers, and citizens should reach out so that these brave men and women aren’t waging a bitter personal war all by themselves.

America is at war. Veterans of the U.S. armed forces understand this better than anyone else. These are the brave women and men that answered the call to serve and defend their country. But, unfortunately, while the nation continues to deploy soldiers to various conflicts worldwide, many veterans returning home find themselves battling a new and different kind of enemy.

  • Veterans live with much higher rates of substance abuse and addiction.

“Veterans with multiple deployments, combat exposure, and related injuries are at greatest risk of developing substance use problems,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Among soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported the following statistics:

  • Over half had more than one mental health or substance use disorder
  • The rate of PTSD among veterans was 3.5 percent higher than the civilian population
  • A staggering 25 percent were diagnosed with PTSD, depression, anxiety, or chemical dependency

Combat exposure affects virtually every aspect of a person’s mental and physical well-being. There are periods of high-intensity stress, fear, and the reality of life-threatening injuries, as well as bearing witness to human suffering that some soldiers are unable to forget as they try to transition back into normal society.

VA PTSD assessment office

In many cases, veterans cope with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and physical pain that drives them to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, they also fall prey to a medical system that prescribes opiate painkillers for pain.

“The troops, if they got hurt, they’d shove you a bag of pills, “Mike McDonel, who served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, told NPR. “You never got a bottle and knew what was in it; you always got a baggie. Everything under the sun, from Adderall to Percocet to hydrocodone, oxycodone, you name it.”

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