Transitioning back to civilian life brings unique challenges for veterans. Sometimes, difficulty coping with traumatic experiences and changes result in a substance use disorder. A veterans’ addiction treatment center can offer support and healing for veterans who need help with addiction after returning home from military service.
Vertava Health offers addiction treatment services designed to address specific challenges for veterans leaving the military. Call us at 844.470.0410 to learn more about the veterans’ program at Vertava Health.
Common Issues Veterans Face When Leaving the Military
Life in the military is an experience unlike any other. Veterans give years of life in dedication to military service. Often, those years are accompanied by significant sacrifices.
Veterans often miss out on family milestones, and close relationships can be harder to maintain from overseas. For those who entered the military early on, civilian life as an adult may be utterly foreign. For others, experiences in the military can make returning home a difficult transition.
Some of the central issues veterans face when leaving the military include:
- Physical health issues
- Financial hardship
- Difficulty finding employment
- Inability to access benefits
- Struggling to reconnect with friends and family
- Dissatisfaction with the civilian lifestyle
- Mental health concerns
- Unprocessed trauma
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Substance use disorders
Veterans today are often left without the support they need when military service ends. Even when a veteran has benefits that could help, accessing those benefits often presents a challenge.
Veterans and Substance Use
Addiction is one of the greatest challenges for veterans leaving the military. There are a few reasons for the large number of veterans who struggle with substance use disorders.
From traumatic warzone experiences to family relationships damaged by absence, the impact of military service on a veteran’s well-being and personal life often takes a serious toll.
Many veterans turn to alcohol or drug use to cope with these mental and emotional challenges, and over time, substance use develops into addiction.
Military culture is another factor that has a lasting impact on veteran substance use. Alcohol abuse is rampant in the military, and dangerous practices like binge drinking are widespread.
Alcohol is often used as a primary coping tool among service members, who may drink after stressful or traumatizing events. Drinking together often becomes a primary recreational pastime, facilitating peer bonding in the absence of friends and family.
The Need for High-Quality Treatment for Veterans
For addiction treatment to be effective, a program needs to understand and address the underlying factors that have contributed to the development of a substance use disorder.
Achieving this goal is particularly important for veterans whose life experiences differ dramatically from those of the civilian population. It’s crucial for a veteran struggling with addiction to locate a high-quality treatment center with programs designed specifically to support the challenges of post-military life.
Another matter nearly as important as quality treatment is the issue of accessible benefits. One of the main reasons veterans don’t get the care they need is that navigating benefits is often a frustrating and fruitless process.
Support for Veterans at Vertava Health
We know that when service comes to an end, those who have devoted their lives to their country are often left without the support they need to thrive.
At Vertava Health, we communicate with Veterans Affairs on behalf of our patients. Our professionals work to ensure a veteran’s benefits cover the cost of treatment so that patients can focus their energy on recovery.
Vertava Health’s support program for veterans exists to connect service members to the resources that can help them thrive in life after the military. Contact us at 844.470.0410 today to learn more about the veterans’ treatment program at Vertava Health.
