Many of today’s veterans find themselves struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol when they return from service. The reasons why veterans develop these debilitating disorders are not complicated. After all, military life calls for the sacrifice of life and limb. Unfortunately, many veterans come home from war zones having undergone deeply traumatic experiences.
Meanwhile, military culture often calls for servicemen and women to suffer their wounds. In fact, these can be both visible and invisible, and in silence. The challenge of rehab for veterans in Tennessee is in order to treat the addiction, the co-occurring mental health disorder must be addressed and treated. Many veterans fear when sharing their traumatic experiences and feelings, that medical professionals with zero experience in the military won’t understand.
Tulip Hill Recovery has addressed this problem by individualizing our treatment specifically for veterans. Also, we populate our staff with both active duty and retired veterans. In this way, we hope clients will feel comfortable sharing their experiences and feelings. We believe this will empower our clients to dig deeper within themselves. As a result, this can increase their chances of long-term recovery from addiction and mental health disorders.
Veterans’ Unique Challenges in Recovery
Returning home after fulfilling one’s military service can be challenging. After all, many veterans enlisted straight out of high school and have never lived on their own. And military life is very different from civilian life. The transitions can often result in increased anxiety, stress, depression, anger, and feelings of isolation.
The struggles veterans face depend on a variety of factors. The challenge of re-establishing relationships with family and friends and finding employment are among the most common. For instance, men and women serving in the military are trained to do a specific job. However, in civilian life, there is a seemingly endless process of licensing, certification, or academic degrees for work they might feel qualified to do already.
When combined with other challenges, like possible combat injuries or physical or mental health symptoms, life can feel overwhelming. They may also contribute to the abuse of alcohol and other addictive substances. Last but not least, the military’s culture of discipline and self-reliance can stop many veterans from seeking help.
Treatment for Veterans
Most rehab for veterans in Tennessee exists to treat those vets living with substance abuse disorders. These programs are for veterans who have lived within the military culture and may need combat-related treatments. At Tulip Hill Recovery, many veterans are on staff to work with our clients.
In this way, clients can draw on a variety of veteran-specific experiences while working toward long-term recovery. Addiction recovery is always a personal experience. However, rehab alongside people with similar experiences can greatly increase one’s chances for success.
Veterans Alcohol Rehab
Over the last couple of decades, alcoholism among our veterans has grown increasingly worse. Due partly to a military culture that enables binge drinking, many veterans turn to alcohol to cope with trauma experienced while serving or with symptoms of their untreated mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression.
However, alcohol tends to make such mental health disorders worse over time while creating new problems, including possible financial troubles, DUI, and poor physical health. At our veterans rehab center, our specialized alcohol addiction program addresses not just our client’s alcohol use disorder. In fact, they can address any underlying mental health disorders that might contribute.
Veterans Drug Rehab
In recent years, the opioid epidemic has ravaged the US. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), opioid-related overdose deaths rose from just 21,000 in 2010 to nearly 48,000 in 2017. In 2020, opioid-related overdose deaths reached well over 68,000.
This epidemic has not left veterans unscathed. NIDA studies have found that more than one in 10 veterans receiving care at a VA facility are diagnosed with substance use disorder. What is more, many are addicted to more than one substance. Much of this stems from the stress of military life and the difficulty of returning to civilian life. For those veterans who have experienced traumatic events such as combat or military sexual trauma, the likelihood of developing a substance use disorder is that much greater.
Tulip Hill Recovery offers rehab for veterans in Tennessee through a range of treatment options specifically designed to meet the needs of the men and women who have served in the armed services. Our Veteran and drug addiction treatment options include veteran-specific detox, residential rehab, aftercare planning, and holistic therapy.
Trauma and PTSD
Trauma is any kind of distressing event or experience that can result in emotional, physical, and psychological harm, particularly if left untreated. Following a traumatic event, some typical emotions that occur include shock and denial. Traumatic experiences include physical or emotional abuse, physical assault or injury, and sexual assault. They also include the death of a loved one, natural disasters, or the witnessing of a crime, accident, or death.
Long-term reactions to trauma can include flashbacks to the traumatic event, unpredictable emotions mood swings, and sleep disorders. Strained relationships and physical symptoms like headache or nausea are other possible reactions. However, the symptoms one might experience following a traumatic event do not necessarily point to post-traumatic stress disorder.
PTSD symptoms are far more intense and long-lasting. In fact, many of them make up the body’s natural response to severe trauma. Additional PTSD symptoms include a loss of interest in once-enjoyable activities, social avoidance, and unhealthy coping behaviors like substance abuse and self-injury. It is extremely common for PTSD to co-occur with substance abuse. Sometimes, it’s the leading cause of substance abuse.
Dual Diagnosis
Dual diagnosis is the medical term used when a person has been diagnosed with both a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder. People with a dual diagnosis disorder can be difficult to treat since one disorder can mask or heighten the symptoms of the other. In fact, it has been estimated that more than half of all people diagnosed with a mental health disorder also live with a substance use disorder.
Some common co-occurring mental health disorders that occur alongside substance use disorders include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Panic disorders
- Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Eating disorders
What to Expect at our Program for Veterans
At Tulip Hill Recovery, we believe our servicemen and women deserve optimal care to help them overcome their addictions. For this reason, we provide rehab for veterans in Tennessee that specifically addresses their needs. We offer detox programs, and many different types of therapy including holistic therapy, 12-Step immersion, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and help managing mental health conditions.
Veterans seeking treatment can expect certain levels of care:
- Detoxification takes place prior to ongoing addiction treatment. This days-long process enables the body to clear itself of drugs and alcohol. Often, detox features medical oversight and intervention to manage withdrawal symptoms. Medical detox is highly recommended in cases of alcohol, sedative, and opioid withdrawal.
- Our residential rehab program offers live-in treatment with therapy sessions and recovery meetings. These sessions place a focus on understanding and coping with addiction and any underlying mental health disorders.
- Outpatient substance abuse treatment programs offer scheduled therapy sessions that call for the patient to visit the treatment facility. Participants of OP programs at our veterans rehab do not stay in a treatment facility. Instead, they reside in their own homes or in a sober living facility.
Tulip Hill: Rehab That Accepts Tricare
Located near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Tulip Hill Recovery is a family-owned and operated drug and alcohol rehab facility. We make rehab for veterans more effective by offering our clients the tools and skills needed to live a life in recovery. Tulip Hill has partnered with TRICARE, the healthcare program for uniformed service members and retirees to make addiction and mental health treatment affordable for military service members and their families.
At Tulip Hill, our highly trained staff strives to facilitate the growth and healing of individuals and families struggling with addiction and mental health disorders. Thus, we design each client’s treatment plan to support them in their specific needs and long-term goals.
Drug and Alcohol Rehab for Veterans in Tennessee
If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use or mental health disorder, reach out to Tulip Hill Recovery. We provide rehab for veterans in Tennessee. Our mental health professionals can treat the invisible wounds of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addiction.
Visit our admissions page today to begin your recovery journey and win back the life you deserve.
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