destination was the same. They seemed to find this small room in the back of a church a safe place to not only expose their feelings, but to feel validated. It is interesting that addicts usually find one another when they are acting out their destructive behavior, but it takes addicts in recovery to pull one another off the path to destruction. It was beautiful to see people share their trials, fears, and victories over the battle with addiction. They truly were courageous in their efforts to heal themselves and one another. Nonaddicts have a lot to learn from A.A. members' courage, openness, and perseverance to heal themselves and one another. Everyone, addicts and non-addicts alike, has "inner demons" and the lesson of the Twelve Steps and group support is that nothing is healed alone.

Individual Therapy

Another form of treatment that veterans who suffer from PostTraumatic Stress Disorder should consider, coupled with A.A. if necessary, is individual psychotherapy. Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder is understood to be caused by a traumatic or life-threatening experience. Traumatic experience can result in diagnoses such as adjustment disorder, mood disorder, attention deficit disorder (ADD), alcoholism, and substance abuse.

A traumatic experience impacts the survivor for life. As a result of one or more traumatic experiences, a healthy individual can develop maladaptive behaviors. Trauma is an experience that produces thoughts, emotions and behaviors that were not present before the trauma occurred.

The same external event will have different effects on different individuals. Trauma is experienced externally but the actual trauma is internalized. Certain individuals are more resilient than others due to social support, a strong sense of self, how they perceived the experience, etc. It is impossible to predict how each person will respond to the same traumatic event.

Trauma impacts the brain when a person experiences a traumatic event as overwhelming or life-threatening. If the

ASKING IS THE FIRST STEP : RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO SERVICEMEMBERS AND VETERANS

The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have developed several programs to help servicemembers and their families. The servicemember can find help at the local Troop Medical Clinic (TMC). Most TMCs have a behavioral health specialist on their staff. These programs can help from the time a mental health issue is suspected to a full treatment plan and implementation. All you have to do is ask. By asking, you will find many forms of help and you will find you are not alone.

ARMY SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM

Many installations provide meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.). Ask your installation Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) managers for more information.

home.army.mil/imcom/index.php/Organization/human-services/g1-person-

POST-DEPLOYMENT HEALTH REASSESSMENT PROGRAM

Take advantage of the Post-Deployment Health Reassessment (PDHRA) Program, "a program mandated by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs in March 2005 and designed to identify and address health concerns, with specific emphasis on mental health, that have emerged over time since deployment." research.va.gov/resources/pubs/docs/post-deployment-health-brochure.pdf

TRICARE

TRICARE announced (at tricare.mil/pressroom/news.aspx?fid=526) a new web page for TRICARE beneficiaries seeking help: "The web page supports two Department of Defense initiatives: promoting awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, and assisting returning

servicemembers by providing expanded counseling services. It also provides information for family members dealing with deployment stress, moves, and separation situations. Servicemembers and family members can access behavioral health information including recent news articles, self-assessment programs, and behavioral health flyers and brochures. When beneficiaries are looking for help, is the starting place to find information about common concerns, resources, and how TRICARE's behavioral health benefits work. tricare.mil/CoveredServices/Mental

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

The Department of Veterans Affairs has a good track record of helpTRICARE TRICARE announced (at tricare.mil/pressroom/news.aspx?fid=526) a new web page for TRICARE beneficiaries seeking help: "The web page supports two Department of Defense initiatives: promoting awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, and assisting returning 64 September 2022 • EP Magazine | epmagazine.com ing veterans. The VA has group sessions and individual therapy sessions to help overcome the trauma of PTSD. The VA National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD) website (ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/index.jsp) states (at ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_treatmentforptsd.html), "Today, there are good treatments available for PTSD. When you have PTSD, dealing with the past can be hard. Instead of telling others how you feel, you may keep your feelings bottled up. But talking with a therapist can help you get better. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one type of counseling. It appears to be the most effective type of counseling for PTSD. There are different types of cognitive-behavioral therapies, such as cognitive therapy and exposure therapy. There is also a similar kind of therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) that is used for PTSD. Medications have also been shown to be effective. A type of drug known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is also used for depression, is effective for PTSD."