Many people who live with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), also live with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can complicate things when they seek recovery. With the right compassionate and holistic support, both conditions can be managed, creating space for healing rather than a cycle of distress.
Why PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder Often Go Together
People with PTSD frequently turn to alcohol as a way to cope with distressing memories and emotions. About half of the people living with PTSD also struggle with alcohol use disorder. For most people, alcohol use worsens PTSD symptoms, such as depression, and vice versa. Chronic alcohol use can cause mood swings and heighten anxiety when a person is struggling with withdrawal.
When PTSD and alcohol use disorder happen together, they can reinforce each other in a challenging cycle:
● PTSD symptoms (like fear, stress, and trouble sleeping) lead to drinking.
● Alcohol may bring temporary calm, but it causes more anxiety, depression, and poor sleep later.
● As alcohol wears off, PTSD symptoms come back even stronger.
● The person drinks more to feel better again.
● The person feels intense emotions and starts the process over again, often more intensely.
Alcohol is not a suitable way to self-medicate, and more often than not, it makes problems worse.
How Alcohol Changes the Brain in PTSD
PTSD already affects parts of the brain that deal with memory, emotion, and fear, especially the amygdala and hippocampus. Alcohol affects those same areas, making the brain even more sensitive to stress over time.
Over time, alcohol can:
● Increase depression and irritability
● Make it harder to think clearly
● Cause memory loss and blackouts
● Lead to risky behavior or self-harm
● Lead to more traumatic incidents
Alcohol may seem like an escape, but it adds fuel to the fire of trauma. It can cause a person to be in situations that cause more trauma, such as legal harm or abusive relationships. It can also deeply disrupt a person’s sense of self-worth and inner peace.
Treating the Body, Mind, and Spirit
Addressing both PTSD and AUD simultaneously is important for people to be able to thrive in recovery. Treating one without the other can be a setup for relapse. After all, emotions and trauma are powerful triggers for drinking. People often drink to relieve distress, “turn off their brains,” and relax.
Once a person stops drinking, memories and feelings may be intense. A person may struggle to focus on other things or have reactions to their feelings, such as anxiety attacks. Without proper help and coping tools, it’s easy to return to drinking to seek relief. PTSD and trauma do not go away.
At Costa Rica Recovery, integrated treatment approaches form the heart of our holistic recovery philosophy, helping individuals navigate both PTSD and AUD with compassion and clarity.
Here are some of the treatments that people can find useful for PTSD:
● Prolonged Exposure Therapy involves gradually confronting trauma-related memories and situations in a safe environment. Studies have found that PE can significantly reduce PTSD symptoms.
● Seeking Safety Therapy focuses on tools that help establish safety and develop healthy coping mechanisms. While it doesn’t involve discussing traumatic memories directly, it has been effective in reducing symptoms of both PTSD and AUD for some people.
● Combining Treatment with Medications such as naltrexone, which reduces alcohol cravings, has shown positive results. This integrated approach can lead to significant improvements in both PTSD and alcohol use symptoms.
● Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) helps people manage overwhelming emotions, making it especially useful for those with both PTSD and alcohol addiction.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Nervous System Regulation
Before diving into trauma-focused therapies, it’s beneficial to first regulate the nervous system. Therapy such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can help people manage emotional responses and build resilience. Therapies such as yoga and mindfulness can also benefit people in recovery greatly. These practices lay a foundation for more intensive treatments by enhancing emotional stability and reducing the risk of relapse.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a skills-based therapy that helps people manage overwhelming emotions, making it especially useful for those with both PTSD and alcohol addiction. These conditions often overload the nervous system.
People coping with PTSD and alcoholism often experience intense stress, panic, or numbing. Alcohol can become a way to self-soothe or escape, but it unleashes a whole new set of problems.
What DBT May Include for AUD and PTSD:
● Mindfulness skills to help with staying present in the moment and learning to observe thoughts without judgment.
● Healthy ways to manage painful emotions and cravings without turning to alcohol.
● Tools to identify, understand, and shift intense emotions that feel overwhelming.
● Learning how to set boundaries, ask for help, and build healthy relationships.
● Breaking down the steps that led to relapse or emotional distress, so they can be interrupted in the future.
Treatment and therapy can help people in recovery learn to manage their emotions in all kinds of situations. This better equips them to deal with triggers and emotional distress.
There is a Path to Recovery
Recovery from co-occurring PTSD and AUD can seem challenging. However, people with PTSD deserve the highest quality of life possible. That means finding peace with their past and new ways to live with serenity and joy. Treatment for both disorders and skills to manage the symptoms can be life-transforming.
With the help of professionals, people with AUD and PTSD can work towards sobriety and healing from trauma in a safe, confidential environment. Each person’s journey is unique. At Costa Rica Recovery, we’ve seen that with the right support, strategies, and commitment, people can overcome the challenges of PTSD and AUD, leading to a healthier and more fulfilling life.
When trauma is met with care, not judgment, and alcohol use is replaced with support and structure, people can begin to rebuild their lives.
You deserve to feel safe in your body, steady in your emotions, and free from the pain of the past, like a tree finding its roots again in calm, nourishing soil. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting what happened. It means learning how to move forward and reclaim your life. Getting help is a sign of strength and resilience. It means you’re ready to recover, grow, and bloom.
About the Author
In Scott Huseby’s previous career, he led one of the most respected litigation support firms in the United States. Yet beyond his professional success, Scott discovered a deeper purpose after experiencing the healing power of recovery firsthand.That calling led him to Costa Rica, where he became the owner of Costa Rica Recovery in San José – a holistic, participant-centered haven for individuals seeking freedom from addiction where Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a core integrated therapeutic approach. Scott now uses his leadership and lived experience to walk alongside others on their recovery journey, offering the same hope and healing that changed his life.