Helping Veterans Develop the Tools to Help Them Find Themselves

Healing is a comprehensive journey for veterans as they overcome the use of addictive substances or navigate the effects of mental health disorders, substance use disorder (SUD), and more. However, healing is always possible, and Eric’s transformative journey at Hawaii Island Recovery stands as a testament to the potential for change for each veteran in civilian life. Hawaii Island Recovery not only champions this change but approaches such transformative healing by empowering veterans to develop the tools to change themselves and their lives while pursuing their own best approach to a fulfilling and sober civilian life. 

Veteran healing – whether an individual is overcoming trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug addiction, alcohol use disorder (AUD), or any other challenges in veteran life – is complicated. However, there is nobody that can engage in effective healing for another person. Being well taken care of is not the same as being truly well, and developing the tools to further each veteran’s own healing goals is a transformative experience. While challenging, developing the tools for personal growth and accountability can introduce newfound agency into civilian life, empowering veterans to not only tackle their own challenges but also push themselves toward new goals in recovery and sobriety. 

However, veterans must want this change for themselves. Hawaii Island Recovery’s dedicated veteran programs create a community of change, with Eric’s story being a testament to not only the possibility of change but also a model on which each veteran can pursue their own strategies for a transformed life. 

Learning to develop the tools for personal growth and success in trauma and addiction recovery encompasses many different elements. Not only does it mean embracing new strategies and perspectives in veteran life but also confronting the various challenges that each veteran faces. Identifying trauma, addiction, their underlying causes, and more is just the beginning. 

Developing these tools in recovery also means being mentally open to adopting new strategies and routines to challenge past struggles, both with substance use as well as trauma, perceptions of self-worth, self-destructive behaviors, and more. Working with veteran peers to identify new skills or qualities that each veteran wants to embody can help each person visualize what tools they will need for their own profound change and then act on these goals for change. While this commonly involves creating sober coping strategies and grounding techniques, other essential tools can be strategies for embracing emotional vulnerability, self-care, communication, goal-setting, and more. 

Any new perspective or practice learned in treatment can be a valuable tool in recovery. Developing these tools for oneself is essential for regaining a feeling of agency over each veteran’s pursuit of change. Not only can these tools help to overcome personal challenges, but they can also be the catalyst for further growth in each person’s potential.

Eric not only had to overcome a lengthy battle with alcohol use but a plethora of other challenges on his journey to a truly transformed recovery. Unfortunately, while exceptionally challenging, many of the things he overcame are common among military personnel. Understanding the comprehensive nature of recovery and the various needs of veterans is necessary to begin developing the tools for sustainable change. 

Experiencing isolation is common among not just those overcoming addiction but also those navigating trauma, making veterans uniquely susceptible to feeling isolated from friends, family, and communities. Eric’s initial avoidance of community activities and familial disconnect are hallmarks of the challenges this can present in daily life. 

Isolating is an intense feeling of disconnect or even disillusionment that comes with being physically separated from others or emotionally disconnected from peers or communities. This can be common for veterans due to traumatic experiences in the line of duty and the vastly different life experiences and cultures that military life presents. Upon transitioning to civilian life, many veterans can find it difficult to connect or share perspectives with civilian peers, making embracing a feeling of belonging difficult and furthering other challenges in veteran life. 

Like Eric, it is also possible to experience this disconnect from family, even when they are physically present. Coupled with addiction, individuals can physically and emotionally shut off from the people around them, even if they are trying to help. Learning to develop the tools to challenge isolation is necessary for rekindling these relationships and tending to not just familial healing but also addressing social needs in civilian life. 

The use of addictive substances can be devastating if left unaddressed, and veterans can be at an increased risk of turning to addictive substances to cope with personal challenges. Understanding the factors behind veterans’ substance use can be paramount to developing the tools to address it through professional treatment at Hawaii Island Recovery. Some of the ways veterans may be exposed to dangerous levels of substance use include:

The experiences of veterans from their time on active duty come home with each person. Creating a plan for effective alcohol and depression treatment to develop the tools to address the addictive substances being used and the factors that inform their level of use is a crucial part of genuine healing through Hawaii Island Recovery. 

Not only must veterans like Eric overcome a plethora of challenges each and every day, but the idea of reaching out for help can also be stigmatized. Veterans and active service members alike may be expected to push down any and all emotional turmoils and challenges. Many may also feel culturally ostracized, ridiculed, or otherwise discouraged from expressing any emotional need or vulnerability. This can leave veterans not only continuing to experience the challenges of addiction, mental health disorders, and trauma but also doing so alone or in silence, prompting the development of more self-destructive coping strategies.

Eric’s journey overcoming alcohol use is wrought with additional challenges, including intrusive thoughts on his own life. Such thoughts of suicide are common among veterans, with veterans dying by suicide at an increased rate compared to their civilian counterparts. The suicide rate among veterans was about 57%  higher than that of civilians in 2020. These thoughts can be debilitating, and addressing substance use, trauma, PTSD, and suicide is paramount for developing the tools needed for a truly transformative recovery. 

Confronting these challenges in a safe and educated manner is paramount, and Hawaii Island Recovery’s dedication to deconstructing stigmas and veteran-specific programming is paramount to overcoming these challenges and empowering veterans like Eric to take control of their own best healing practices and change. 

Eric and veterans like him thrive when coming together to deconstruct barriers and confront the challenges of veteran life. Taking a comprehensive approach to change with Hawaii Island Recovery can be necessary not only to find a community of understanding peers and professionals but also to feel empowered to develop the tools to enable each veteran’s own success. While each program is personalized to fit the needs of the individual, they are also designed to provide holistic care and new opportunities to help veterans follow in Eric’s transformative footsteps. 

Challenging the use of drugs and alcohol is a difficult task but one that is always achievable. No veteran is “too addicted” or “too late” to pursue a sober civilian life. Beginning with personalized grounding strategies and working to develop the tools and strategies to cope with urges, cravings, and stress while avoiding the use of drugs or alcohol is paramount. 

Breathing strategies, grounding strategies, goal-setting techniques, and more are all learned skills and tools that veterans can use on their own to take control of their own sober transformation. Keeping sobriety at the forefront of each veteran’s mind is necessary to empower veterans to enact their own change. Furthermore, staying connected to a community of peers can further this goal by normalizing sober practices and helping veterans learn from successful peers like Eric on how they can further develop their own goals and strategies. 

Military life is drastically different than civilian life. Many veterans may feel connected to their peers and lifestyle from their time in service. Transitioning out of this military culture can be difficult, and not only must veterans cope with the transition stress of the situation, but many may also feel as if a piece of their identity was left behind. 

However, for others like Eric, addiction can profoundly affect their identity and sense of self. Not only can personal hobbies, interests, and even finances become compromised as a result of the excessive use of addictive substances, but an individual can even “lose themselves” throughout the process due to feeling surrounded by a mental fog or disconnect from others. 

Reclaiming this sense of self and establishing a personal identity is part of the transformative recovery process, and Hawaii Island Recovery can help develop the tools for veterans to pursue new interests, opportunities, and skills to create a transformed, sober identity. From opportunities to explore new hobbies to encouraging effective self-care strategies, championing personal interests, creating a supportive community, and refining life skills to enable veterans to prioritize their own personal development, it is always possible to develop the tools to explore what a new start on life in sobriety as a veteran can mean. 

Families play an important role in every veteran’s life. Reconnecting with family after service is both crucial and difficult, especially while overcoming trauma and addiction. Even families that may want to offer support may not know how to approach a veteran loved one, and veterans themselves may be reluctant to accept such help in the first place. 

Engaging in effective family programs can help not just veterans but entire families develop the tools to communicate, heal, and address challenges together. Having the support of family and peers alike can be an empowering experience, and an educated family can be instrumental in promoting a healthy approach to sober life, developing hobbies, and keeping veterans in recovery accountable for their own successes or mistakes throughout the recovery process. Engaging in effective treatment to develop the tools to focus on communication, education, and practical family strategies to navigate challenging times can all help promote the best approach to healing veterans and military families alike. 

Spiritual healing is a cornerstone of effective recovery and change. For veterans of the armed forces, traumatic experiences, moral injury, survivor’s guilt, depression, PTSD, and more can all impact each veteran’s spiritual beliefs and can make it difficult for veterans to embrace a healthy spirituality in life. However, being open to developing the tools for spiritual healing also demands that each veteran understand the important role that spirituality plays in their recovery journey. 

Spirituality is a personal set of beliefs and practices separate from religious beliefs. While spirituality and religion can overlap, effective spiritual practices can be utilized devoid of any religious connotation, and there is no religious denomination that is better or worse throughout effective spiritual healing. 

Rather, spirituality can be a connection to nature and others, as well as a way to contextualize a person’s place or role in the world around them. Effective spiritual healing can not only empower veterans to better connect with their own needs and promote effective mindfulness strategies but also create a better perspective on their own recovery journey as well as the journeys of family and peers. Mindfulness strategies, oceanic healing and nature experiential therapies, yoga, meditation, and more are just some ways in which Hawaii Island Recovery can introduce veterans to spiritual healing, all while helping each veteran develop the tools to determine their own spiritual beliefs and best practices. 

Eric’s journey didn’t find success through pushing down past experiences but rather by addressing them directly alongside peers and professionals. Effective treatment doesn’t attempt to erase past experiences and instead takes a deeper look into challenging times to find new ways of looking at the events and how they may have shaped an individual. Sometimes, this involves looking at how traumatic experiences have influenced the use of drugs or alcohol. However, it can also help veterans begin to see how traumatic experiences can add a new perspective on their own lives while still acknowledging the grief and negative consequences of these experiences. 

Exploring new perspectives and being able to see these past experiences through a different lens is an empowering tool, and can contextualize a person’s experiences, validate their beliefs, and change how they let such experiences form their daily lives. While trauma, PTSD, flashbacks, and more can all cause many veterans to feel “trapped” in the past and as if they are reliving traumas over and over again, by working with peers who understand these challenges on a deep level and professionals ready to guide each veteran through change, it is possible to break through these challenges to create a new and fulfilling perception of oneself and their potential for the future. 

Veterans are always in control of their own future. However, the right support, education, and personalized programs are essential for empowering each veteran to embrace their agency in recovery. Eric is a testament to not only the reality of many of the challenges that veterans face but also the possibility of change. Moreover, Eric’s story of overcoming alcohol use and navigating personal change is just one of many successful journeys at Hawaii Island Recovery, and there is always time to develop the tools to take each veteran’s own change into their own hands.

Eric’s journey overcoming addiction as a veteran of the armed forces is inspiring and a testament to the possibility of change for each and every veteran. At Hawaii Island Recovery, we take a holistic approach to veteran healing to help you address not just the use of drugs or alcohol in your life but also the experiences and challenges that inform their use for a comprehensive approach to veteran care. From experiential therapies to curating a community of peers ready to share in breaking through stigmas and normalizing sobriety and healing, we can help you take your first step toward your own sober future. For more information on our alcohol and depression treatment, call us today at (866) 390-5070.