Serving Firefighter’s Recovery Needs
When we are in crisis, firefighters are there to help us out of frightening and life-threatening situations. Firefighters who find themselves caught in the vicious cycle of substance abuse and addiction should receive equal effort on the part of others to save them from devastation and death.
The disease of addiction is a complex and devastating mental illness that affects approximately one in ten American adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Such statistics should make everyone realize that developing an addiction is not something one should feel guilty or shameful about. It is simply a treatable disease that requires some effort and professional intervention to get the individual back on the right track.
No one is immune to this fatal and progressive mental illness; however, some people are considered to be at higher risk. Sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses are thought to be more prone to developing a substance abuse disorder.
Firefighters that have PTSD and a substance abuse disorder should find a treatment center that caters to clients with co-occurring disorders. Both the substance abuse and co-occurring disorder must be treated at the same time if the person is to remain abstinent and healthy in the long-term.
Below is a list of addiction treatment centers that treat clients with co-occurring disorders.
