While opioids and alcohol get a lot of the attention when it comes to addiction problems, and rightfully so, there are still other drugs of abuse causing harm and leading to death. Cocaine remains the third-most prevalent drug of abuse in the United States and in 2012, over 1 million U.S. adults met the criteria for cocaine dependence or abuse.
Research has also found that there is an overlap between cocaine use and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, up to 43% of cocaine users also experience problems related to PTSD. Across studies, rates of PTSD have been found to be especially high in female cocaine users. Comorbid cocaine and PTSD problems are associated with:
- More severe substance use
- Higher rates of depression
- Increased interpersonal problems
Along with these, it has also been associated with worse treatment outcomes compared to cocaine use alone. This may be because some treatment centers are equipped to take on a client with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders, this is often referred to as a dual diagnosis. Treatment centers with dual diagnosis programs in place are more equipped to handle these nuanced cases.
Other common co-occurring disorders include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
While treatment options, including luxury addiction facilities, do exist to help people overcome their substance abuse habits such as cocaine addiction, sometimes post-traumatic stress disorder can be the catalyst for addiction – by working on overcoming PTSD, you may be able to avoid addiction problems from the beginning.
One of the most common and effective treatment methods used to deal with and overcome post-traumatic stress disorder is through eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).
Understanding EMDR
After experiencing trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder makes it difficult for people to process and make sense of what they have experienced and are dealing with. This is where EMDR comes into play. During eye-movement sensitization and reprocessing, you pay attention to a back-and-forth movement or sound as you recall the upsetting event. Eventually your understanding and the way you re-experience the even begins to shift.
EMDR is a proven treatment that has been shown to help with PTSD symptoms and as a whole. In fact, some studies have shown that up to 90% of single trauma victims will no longer have PTSD after just three 90-minute sessions.
As you can see, EMDR is an effective form of treatment for those who are dealing with PTSD problems and those that may be at risk of some substance abuse issues. Using proven therapies like EMDR to stop PTSD symptoms before they can mutate into other issues is the best plan of action.
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