Unfathomable circumstances that I know nothing about happen in true combat. I am forever grateful to the men and women who sacrificed everything in their service to our country. In no way do I try to compare someone else’s experience or minimize the severity. When I informed myself about the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, I could relate to what I was experiencing. Then I’d downplay it, since I had never been in an extreme circumstance such as combat in war. This was a mind bender.
The stress of loving an addict/alcoholic can be debilitating and I was getting sick. Statistics back up the theory of stress related illness – stress accounts for two-thirds of family doctor visits and half the deaths to Americans under the age of 65, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I have even heard about the phenomena of sudden death from “broken heart syndrome.”
For me, accepting that my son’s addiction was a reality and my battle against it was causing me to have symptoms similar to PTSD was a turning point in finding help. How could I possibly help those around me when I was ill myself?
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