The most prevalent types of substance use problems among male and female veterans include heavy episodic drinking and cigarette smoking.

The Crisis of Prescription Drug Abuse in the Military According to the VA, 50–60% of service members returning from deployment experience chronic pain. Veterans are also at risk for suffering from emotional issues like depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Deployments, combat exposure and combat-related injuries may lead to the development of substance use problems. Those who have experienced trauma or were hospitalized or injured during combat are at risk for increased drinking or drug use.

Overall, about 1 in 15 veterans had a past year substance use disorder, whereas the national average among persons aged 17 or older was about 1 in 11, or 8.6 percent.

Veterans who have seen combat may have co-occurring disorders, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, in addition to an addiction. Traumatic events such as combat exposure and multiple deployments can trigger drug or alcohol use, which all too often lead to addiction.

Veterans cannot be directly service-connected for substance use disorder; however, they can be service connected on a secondary basis for disabilities that arise from drug use due to a service-connected condition.

People with PTSD are more prone to violent outbursts and panic attacks, which can be difficult for family and friends to witness. Feelings of guilt over these outbursts can drive those with PTSD to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. Continued use of alcohol or other drugs in this way can lead to an addiction.

Some studies suggest that up to 40 percent of women and men in the United States who have PTSD meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Alcohol Can Make PTSD Symptoms Worse Using too much alcohol makes it harder to cope with stress and your trauma memories. Alcohol use and intoxication (getting drunk) can increase some PTSD symptoms. Examples of symptoms that can get worse are: feeling numb or having no emotions.

Risk Factors. Anyone can develop PTSD at any age. This includes war veterans, children, and people who have been through a physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, disaster, or other serious events.

The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, included 196 men and women who were treated as inpatients for alcohol dependence. Overall, 55 percent had a history of childhood trauma.

In summary, various studies on the relationship between childhood victimization and adult alcohol-use behaviors have yielded inconsistent results, although several studies have indicated that particularly among women, childhood abuse and neglect may increase the risk for adult alcohol problems.

Many associate childhood trauma with child abuse, but other stress-inducing and traumatic experiences linked to an elevated vulnerability to addiction include neglect, the loss of a parent, witnessing domestic or other physical violence, and having a family member who suffers from a mental illness.

Childhood trauma does not necessarily lead to adult per- sonality disorders. Negative events are contributing factors to pathology, but not unique causes. The majority of children exposed to trauma are resilient.