BANDERA, Texas (PRWEB) December 06, 2017 -- Warriors Heart’s Clinical Team announces the number 1 addiction challenge faced by their private residential treatment program clients for “warriors” is alcohol abuse. With 84% of Warriors Heart clients (military, veterans, law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders) having alcohol as their primary issue, and opioids as a strong second, the clinical team specializes in healing warriors who use chemical dependencies as a coping mechanism.
During the holidays when the emphasis is on parties and family, it’s even more important to provide emotional support for protectors, who may be having a challenging time.
“Warriors tend to use alcohol or other substances to cope with their emotional and physical pain, and at times it can become a habit. This can result in physical and chemical changes in the brain that make it very difficult to stop. These physical and chemical changes, as well as the psychological dependence on the substance, are the primary components of the addiction,” Dr. Wilson, Warriors Heart Medical and Clinical Director
Based on 21 years of service in the US Army, Former Special Forces and Warriors Heart Co-Founder Tom Spooner explains, “Many warriors use alcohol to numb their pain when they come home. Because warriors are the ones who run into the fire, they often don’t know how to deal with the trauma, and instead suffer quietly through self-medication and drinking.”
When veterans come home, peer support is often missing and life can turn into an “Invisible War At Home.” Warriors Heart Alumni and Retired Army Staff Sgt. Christian Bagge lost both legs in Iraq in 2005, was awarded the Purple Heart, and later ran with Former President George W Bush at The White House. When reality later set in, Christian confessed; “I started drinking to make myself feel better. I was drinking all day and into the evening, and fell into isolation. I didn’t want to be around anyone, and just wanted to self-medicate.”
Another Warriors Heart Alumni and Former Navy Medic Will B also numbed his pain at home with drinking. Will shared, “I started drinking to cover up symptoms of PTSD, and it got really out of hand.” After calling 64 residential treatment programs, Will chose Warriors Heart and received a scholarship through the Warriors Heart Foundation. Will expanded on his why, “Warriors Heart didn’t feel like a treatment facility – it is, but it’s not a white padded room and white coat doctors.”
Law Enforcement Officers, firefighters, and EMTs also struggle when they come home from a shift and/or after working on major disasters (recent one’s include, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, Las Vegas Shooting, and California wildfires). There is a stigma or misunderstanding that it’s not ok for these protectors to feel pain that can result in warriors using alcohol and opioids as a coping mechanism for depression or anxiety.
What makes Warriors Heart unique is the peer-to-peer program where military, veterans and first responders can feel safe to share and heal with peers because the program is not mixed with civilians. Warriors Heart provides detox, inpatient, outpatient and long-term sober living treatment to those who put their lives on the line for our safety.
About the Warriors Heart (Bandera, Texas, near San Antonio):
Warriors Heart is the first private treatment center in the U.S. dedicated solely to healing Warriors (military, veterans and first responders) dealing with chemical dependencies and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). This rehabilitation program provides a unique peer-to peer based solution to help the over 13.3 million American Warriors faced with the self-medicating struggles of alcohol addiction, prescription and drug addiction, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and mild TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) in a private, 40-bed facility on a 543-acre ranch. While other rehabilitation centers have a veteran track, the veterans are still mixed with civilians during treatment compared to Warriors Heart that serves Warriors only. Warriors Heart work has been featured in Forbes, CBS Health Watch, KENS5 CBS News San Antonio, FOX 10 News Phoenix, PoliceOne, Woman’s Day and Addiction Pro magazine. There is a 24-hour Warriors Heart hotline (844-448-2567) answered by Warriors. http://warriorsheart.com
Media Contact for Warriors Heart:
Liz Kelly: 310-987-7207
Liz Kelly, Goody PR, http://goodypr.com, +1 (310) 987-7207, [email protected]
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