The life of a military family is a hard road to follow — and one made even harder when you are carrying the burden of addiction. Sadly, so many find that the war is not over when their loved ones return from combat. When a loved one tries to heal the wounds of war with drugs or alcohol, a new enemy rears its head and a new fight begins. If there is addiction in your military family, how do you cope?
Addiction in Veterans
First, knowledge is power. It’s important to know that as a military family living with addiction, you are not alone. Sadly, veterans experience addiction and related mental health disorders like PTSD and depression at rates that are much higher than those of the general public. It’s not your fault, or your loved one’s.
Indeed, addiction is not a moral failure. Certainly, your beloved veteran has courage in spades. We know today that addiction is a chronic brain disease. Like other chronic diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure, it has a complex constellation of causes: from genetics to experienced trauma. That also makes it challenging to treat successfully.
Luckily, addiction treatment has never been more advanced or more impactful than it is today. There is help, and there is hope. No matter how bad things may seem, that fact alone may help you carry on.
Al-Anon for Military Families
You probably already know that your courage, love, and gumption aren’t enough to cure your loved one’s addiction. You could drive yourself crazy searching time and again for the one solution or the perfect words that you haven’t yet tried. Paradoxically, though, one of the best ways to cope with a loved one’s addiction is to get help for yourself.
Whether through counseling or a 12-Step fellowship like Al-Anon, you’ll build a powerful support system and learn techniques for setting boundaries and protecting your own peace. When you stop behaviors that may be enabling your loved one, you might be amazed at what they’ll do to pursue their own recovery.
Addiction Treatment for Veterans
Of course, you also can explore the possibility of addiction treatment for veterans. Professional addiction treatment is the best way to address both the addiction and its underlying causes — all at the same time. Your loved one will have 24/7 support in a safe and serene environment, with a customized treatment plan developed by a team of experienced professionals.
At Country Road, we’re proud to offer a treatment track especially developed for veterans. Our Admissions Director, Drew, is a veteran himself and is dedicated to helping other vets find recovery. In fact, he’s been through the Country Road program and can explain what the process is like for a vet.
Best of all, you won’t have to say goodbye to your loved one all over again. Family visits and family programming are an important part of any addiction treatment program.
Paying for Addiction Treatment
The VA isn’t your only choice when it comes to drug and alcohol treatment for veterans. Country Road accepts veterans benefits and will work directly with the VA to make sure your loved one gets the treatment they need. If you have supplemental insurance along with VA benefits, we can call your insurance company on your behalf and verify those benefits, so you have a clear understanding of how much is covered.
You’ve carried this burden alone for too long. Give us a call and we’ll walk beside you on the road to recovery — for your loved one and your family.