Addictive Substances in Military Families

Active service members give their all in the line of duty, putting their physical health on the line while risking their mental and emotional well-being. Navigating life-threatening situations, active warzones, on-base traumas, and intense training regimens all have lasting physical and emotional effects. However, the families of active service members and veterans also make sacrifices to accommodate a military lifestyle. The use of drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism is not just common for veterans to cope with trauma but also for the spouses and families back home navigating their unique stresses. Treatment to address the role of addictive substances in military families is crucial for creating a truly healthy and sober home atmosphere for all family members. 

Active service members and veterans may turn to drugs or alcohol for a myriad of reasons. Transition stress, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), survivor’s guilt, chronic pains, and more are all intense and common challenges that military personnel face. However, those living at home while a loved one is deployed also face challenges, and may also look to drugs or alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate – especially while a spouse is deployed.

Exploring the challenges military families face at home and the role that addictive substances can play is the first step in creating an effective treatment plan for addressing substance use. Moreover, treatment at Hawaii Island Recovery is just the beginning of a transformed and healthy home life for veterans and military families.

Isolation is common among all members of military families. For active service members, constant deployments can lead to feeling isolated from family and loved ones. However, this feeling is mutual, and the spouses of active military personnel also experience this isolation as loved ones are sent on long tours or multiple deployments, with children experiencing similar feelings of isolation as their parent is deployed. 

These feelings are often further informed by constant relocations, making it difficult to build meaningful connections with local communities or to truly feel “at home” at any given place. Military families and at-home spouses may feel isolated not just from their loved ones on tour but also from communities, friends, family, and more through these challenges, with substance use being used to cope with these effects.

The distance and time away from loved ones due to deployment can also strain these important relationships. Feelings of lost time, loneliness, and more can add friction to these relationships, compromise communication strategies, and more. Addictive substances can often be used to push down these difficult challenges, especially while loved ones are deployed when they are difficult to confront and address. 

Active service members commonly face intense feelings of anxiety, depression, trauma, and more in veteran life. However, depression can also be common in military families and spouses during this time. Additionally, persistent anxiety and worry that come with wondering when and if a loved one will come home can be difficult to process. These constant stresses can inform the development of mental health disorders that can fundamentally affect daily life, with military families and spouses looking for any way to address these difficult emotional states, including the use of drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. 

Many military families may also make sacrifices in their professional careers or goals. Military spouses may find it difficult to maintain consistent employment with constant relocations or may be full-time caretakers of children at home instead of pursuing a personal goal while loved ones are deployed. These kinds of sacrifices can have lasting emotional effects, and can even breed resentment, guilt, and anger that can inform the use of drugs or alcohol. 

The use of drugs or alcohol to address various challenges and more is common, but also dangerous. Having an understanding community to approach these challenges is necessary. Dedicated veteran programs and facilities sympathetic to military families’ challenges are paramount for creating the most personalized and effective treatment plan. Hawaii Island Recovery’s Hawaii drug and alcohol treatment centers create a community of veterans to address the needs of not just military personnel but also the lasting challenges their families face. 

Engaging in dedicated addiction treatment programs to explore the factors that informed a person’s decision to turn to drugs or alcohol and blending this treatment with spiritual healing and family programming can empower military families to engage in holistic, transformative healing together. Commonly, military families will have to make major adjustments to daily life, both in overcoming addiction as well as creating a healthy home atmosphere. Dedicated treatment, family programming to rebuild communication strategies, and support groups for military families are all crucial in pursuing sobriety.  

Knowing the challenges military families face is just the first step toward change. A dedicated treatment program can not only professionally address these challenges but also birth a community of like-minded peers that can empower sustainable change in sobriety at home. 

Active service members and their family members all live a very challenging life, with sacrifices made both in the line of duty and at home. At Hawaii Island Recovery, we believe it is important to not just treat symptoms but also address challenges with addictive substances in a comprehensive manner, and their impact on the family. Our Hawaii drug and alcohol treatment centers are prepared to help you explore not just the stresses that may have informed the development of substance use and addiction but also empower you to create your holistic approach to healing and a new, transformed daily life. For more information on how we can help you and your family overcome addiction, call us at (866) 390-5070.