It’s the third time this week you’ve been called to deal with an overdose. The last two pulled through, but it looks like this one won’t even make it into the ambulance.

You don’t understand why anyone would ever start using heroin. You’ve seen too many families devastated as you wheel their loved ones away—unsure if they’ll ever see them alive again. How would your spouse, father or mother react if they found you lying there unresponsive?

Your partner seems numb to all this. He’s been at it for years. Maybe you get used to it?

He could be self-medicating—popping a painkiller at the end of the shift to dull the pain and heartache of all the trauma that’s piled up over the years on the job. The situation is all too common among first responders.

Unfortunately, that relief is only temporary. Drugs and alcohol can’t keep the repressed trauma at bay forever. In fact, he could be entering a self-destructive cycle where that trauma and addiction fuel one another until he’s the one taking a ride in the ambulance…or worse.

It Could Never Happen to Me

When you encounter people struggling with addiction on a near-daily basis, it can become easy to overlook your own trouble areas. After all, you’re not shooting up after a long day on the job. You’re just having a few drinks to relax with the squad.

It’s important to remember that addiction is not a choice someone makes. It’s a complicated disease with a variety of contributing elements, including environmental factors like traumatic experiences.

First responders experience a number of risk factors for addiction more often and more harshly than other people, including:

• Peer pressure. Your colleagues may make you feel pressured to drink and have a good time after work. A few drinks can quickly turn into a binge with serious consequences, and can become a regular activity needed to help you feel normal.
• Ease of access. Such easy access to drugs removes an obstacle that’s often present for the general population. Painkillers originally prescribed for injuries on the job can develop into addiction, and EMTs might be tempted to abuse their access to various medications.
• Social norms. While we’re beginning to see a culture shift in how people talk about addiction and mental health, there are still social norms that might prevent you from discussing troubling emotions or situations—things you encounter often on the job. Fears of looking weak or like you can’t cut it might cause you to bottle up your challenges.

Trauma, PTSD and Addiction Are a Potent Cocktail

When you don’t deal with the stress and trauma of the job in a healthy manner, negative coping mechanisms may develop. That temporary rush of dopamine and adrenaline can make you forget about the things you’ve witnessed in the field for a moment, but it doesn’t last.

As the drugs leave your system, your body struggles to find balance, and you feel even worse than before. This can lead to an escalating pattern of substance abuse and emotional and even physical pain.

You’re Not Alone

You might feel too embarrassed to seek help. You don’t want your team to think you’re weak, so you hide the problem. However, chances are, someone close to you is probably going through similar struggles.

• Nearly a third of firefighters are estimated to have dependence issues with alcohol.
• Police officers show increased risk of alcoholism the longer they’re on the force, and a quarter of them report issues with a co-worker’s substance abuse.
• More than a fifth of EMTs struggle with PTSD, and nearly half abuse alcohol or other drugs.

Do You Need Rescuing from Trauma and Addiction?

When someone is suffering with a combination of conditions like stress, anxiety or PTSD along with addiction, it’s commonly referred to as a co-occurring disorder. Treating only one often leaves you vulnerable to the other, which increases your risk of relapse.

At Cycles of Change, we provide customized treatment plans that help first responders heal from both conditions at the same time. This dual diagnosis approach can lead to better outcomes and lower rates of relapse.

Our compassionate staff has years of experience dealing with the unique needs of EMTs, police officers, firefighters and other first responders. You don’t have to face this battle alone. Contact us today for a confidential conversation about how we can help.

You get the call during one of your late shifts. A house a few miles from the station is on fire and you and your crew are needed immediately. Your adrenaline kicks in as you throw on your gear and pile onto the truck with your men.

“Here we go again,” you think to yourself as you wipe away the remaining exhaustion from your eyes.

By the time you get to the scene, the house is engulfed in intense orange and red flames and thick, heavy smoke. The foul, putrid smell of burning rubber, wires and other parts of the house hits your nostrils as you jump out of the truck and frantically unload the equipment.

You hear the frightened cries of the family to the right of you as they watch their home disappear before their eyes. You catch sight of one of the family members – a girl no more than five years old, screaming at the top of her lungs. She reminds you of your little girl.

You turn back to the inferno in front of you and try to tame the flames. The fire hisses at you in anger and you feel the insufferable heat try to suffocate you. You don’t know how or why the fire started. You don’t care. Right now, all you care about is putting it out and making sure everyone comes out of this unscathed.

This isn’t the first time you’ve encountered a traumatic fire like this, and it won’t be the last. You’ve even encountered some worse than this. You carry those moments with you and turn to distractions to help you cope. Sometimes, that distraction is alcohol use.

Firefighter Alcohol Use. Everybody’s Doing It, But Some More Than Others.

Drinking alcohol is a pretty normal activity for anyone, no matter what line of work you’re in. In fact, more than half the general male population is estimated to have a drink on a monthly basis. And nearly a quarter of them binge drink within that same time frame.

1. When looking at just firefighter alcohol use, 10-20 percent more male firefighters drink on a monthly basis compared to the general population. And twice as many firefighters are estimated to engage in binge drinking.
2. The problem arises when a firefighter’s drinking turns into a way to try to cope with trauma caused on the job.

Why Is Firefighter Alcohol Use So High?

With long periods on and off the clock, drinking might help you avoid dealing with anxiety and trauma experienced on the job. Sometimes, there are things you can’t un-see, but alcohol makes it go away, if only for a moment.

The problem is that alcohol doesn’t actually address those difficult emotions and memories or keep them away for good, leading to additional problems like:

• Increased anxiety
• Depression
• Brain damage
• Memory loss
• Higher rates of multiple types of cancer

How Do You Know When to Call for Help?

There are a few questions you can ask yourself or your fellow firefighter if you’re concerned about drinking too much:

• Do you ever feel guilty about how much you had to drink?
• Are you hiding how much or how often you’re drinking?
• Have you tried to drink less and failed?
• Are hangovers a common occurrence?
• Do you need a drink to feel normal?
• Are you using alcohol as a way to feel better when past or recent traumatic memories pop up?

As a firefighter, what you do is noble and heroic. But that doesn’t mean you’re immune to trauma or PTSD. If you’re turning to alcohol to help cope with what you’ve experienced as a firefighter, you’re not able to do your job or live your life to the very best of your abilities. It’s okay to ask for help!

We’ve Got Your Back at Cycles of Change

When you’re in the field, you need to know that your crew is operating at peak capacity. If someone’s struggling with alcoholism, that puts you all at risk. Do you need help with your drinking problem? Cycles of Change has your back.

Our recovery services include special programs for first responders. Here, you’ll receive treatment customized to meet your unique needs as a firefighter, administered by staff who have extensive experience helping those who fight to keep our communities safe.

Addiction is a disease, but you can fight this fire and put it out with the right treatment, education and relapse prevention training. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. If you’re struggling, contact us today.