Enter: The Affordable Care Act

Veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse face an increased risk of death, a new study suggests. The study included 272,509 veterans who were diagnosed with PTSD. Those who had a substance use disorder were more likely to die during the study follow-up period.

For all age groups, veterans with PTSD and substance use disorder were more likely to die from injuries than those with PTSD alone. For veterans under age 45, those with PTSD and substance use disorder were more likely than older veterans to die from non-injury-related causes, PsychCentral.com reports.

Injury related deaths included suicides, homicides and accidents. Non-injury related deaths included cancer, heart disease and other health problems.

The study of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is the first to evaluate the combined impact of drug or alcohol use disorders in combination with PTSD, according to the University of Michigan researchers.

“Attention needs to be paid to veteran patients with PTSD, with an emphasis on identifying those who might also have a problem with drug or alcohol use,” lead author Kipling Bohnert said in a news release. “This study highlights the potential importance of effective treatment for both conditions in helping veterans after they’ve returned from conflict.”

The results appear in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

This is a story that is worth telling. The Anonymous People is a grassroots movement to get people in recovery to advocate for others that are still out there suffering from the disease of addiction. It basically scolds us in recovery to say that; “By Our Silence, We Let Others Define Us – Susan Rook” I attended the Celebrate Recovery walk on September 15th on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. There I met Pat Taylor from Faces and Voices of Recovery, Gil Kerlikowske Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Ben Jones from NCADD of Detroit and others who came out to Walk for Recovery. We can share this story, we owe it to our fellow addict to spread this story. Please watch; “The Anonymous People.” Spread the word, Share the Story.

Click Here to Watch The Video

Presented by William “Bill” White October 18, 2011; 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm at Dawn Farm in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I had to travel a distance to see Bill this evening and it was well worth it. Many know that I consider Bill White to be a mentor and I am fascinated by his breadth of knowledge of Addiction and Recovery in America and abroad. Here he discusses history of addiction and treatment in America and the new Recovery Movement.

Please click here for articles, papers and books by William White.