Author: contributor

Military personnel who struggle with addiction might find it challenging to meet expectations because of the overpowering effects that come with addiction.

Hence, this is why it is best to prevent addiction from happening so that the individual would not go through the rigorous path of addiction treatment.

Here are some health tips that military personnel can apply to prevent addiction

Learn more about addiction

Military personnel needs to know all that addiction entails. For instance, someone who wants to avoid drug addiction needs to stay away from people who abuse drugs because they might likely do the same thing in the long run.

They should also avoid overdosing on some prescription medication irrespective of how they feel.

Know how to recognize a building addiction problem

Another important tip is for military personnel to know when an addiction problem is building. You might be engaging in an activity that could give rise to addiction.

One of the ways to tell that an addiction is building is when you begin to behave in a way that is unusual of you.

For instance, you might begin to prefer staying isolated instead of gracing social gatherings. Additionally, you might be having issues getting enough sleep. When you notice some of these strange signs, an addiction problem might be brewing.

Imbibe healthy habits

When it comes to preventing addiction from happening, you need to live a healthy life. You can begin by paying attention to your diet. Ensure you eat a balanced meal instead of feasting on junks and snacks. Take lots of water to remain dehydrated and active.

Spend a good amount of time working out to reap the mental and physical health benefits. It is also important to set some time apart to have enough rest to keep your body active and sharp.

Take breaks

Military personnel need to factor in the need to take periodic breaks. When they have spare time, they should seize the moment to focus on themselves alone. During these breaks, they can engage in interests or hobbies that they enjoy doing.

Addiction signs in military operatives may be quite different from that of civilians. This is due to their difference in lifestyle, needs, and mental health. The nature of the work of the military exposes them to traumatizing experiences which place them at a higher risk of substance abuse.

An addictive drug common among military personnel is opioids. As effective pain killers, opioids are essential substances the military cannot but have. When members sustain injuries that cause them chronic pain, they’re prescribed doses of the drug.

However, when taken for a long time, the body can get addicted to it. Then it becomes tolerant, needing more of the substance to make the pain go away. Also, when they try to stop taking the drug, they experience withdrawal symptoms and go back to it.

How do you know a military operative is addicted to opioids? Watch out for the following signs:

• First, they begin to abuse it. Once you notice an operative taking more than was prescribed, it’s a sign of addiction.
• Next, they experience violent withdrawal symptoms. Many take the drug to deal with PTSD and anxiety. When they don’t take it or don’t have access to it, their PTSD becomes more vivid and violent.
• Addicted operatives are also obsessed with the drug. They spend all their time thinking about it and how they can get more of it. Even when the doctor stops prescribing it, they go elsewhere to look for it.

Another substance military operatives get addicted to is alcohol. It serves as a means to drown away their trauma, so they just keep drinking.

Their addiction to alcohol strains their relationship with family and friends. It also causes them problems at work as they find it hard to focus or be stable. These are common signs that show that a military operative is addicted.

Members of the military go through so many violent experiences that affect them for life. While they perform their duty of defending the nation, it’s often at the cost of their body and mental health. When veterans come back to civilian life either due to retirement or injury sustained in action, they’re usually never the same.

One major problem that haunts them on their return is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For instance, they can get panic attacks by simply hearing a revving vehicle nearby, as their minds recollect bombings they survived.

To deal with this anxiety disorder, many vets resort to alcohol and drug use, which leads to addiction. Some may have been addicts already while in the military, but only realize it when they get back and try to stop, but can’t. In any case, they are faced with two problems that require different approaches to solve – PTSD and addiction.

If these heroes have any hope of leading a normal life, they would need help doing so, and that’s where executive rehab comes in. Executive rehabilitation isn’t the regular rehab program but one of high class and services, usually for CEOs and executives of prominent companies. This is no doubt the treatment military personnel deserve.

Executive rehab is important for them because it offers them the required services to fit back into society conveniently. They get individual and group therapy sessions to help deal with the PTSD, and also behavioral therapy to get over addiction.

Executive rehab also provides other beneficial services such as psychopharmacological assessments and holistic therapies such as yoga and meditation which help to calm the mind.

Veterans can also get Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) as needed, biofeedback, and skill-building training so they can keep busy. And they’re not just neglected after the rehab, they’re followed up and provided with aftercare services.

When it comes to the addiction process, the military personnel are those who are very likely to be addicted.

As people struggle with it a different way, it is quite unique for military personnel. The events that take place during war has the capacity to make them struggle with addiction.

One of the common channels that pave way for the addiction of military personnel is prescription painkillers, an example is opium.

Now, the function of opium is to reduce the volume of pain felt after an injury. As expected, military personnel are prone to injuries so they need prescription painkillers when they return to their camp.

With time, some of them become used to these painkillers and they take them because of the “high” effects that come with it.

They begin to abuse the intake, without any prior prescription. Soon enough, they are not satisfied with the current dosage and they increase it so that they can get an enhanced effect.

Asides drugs, another common addiction is alcohol. Military personnel take alcohol when they are stressed out.

So, after engaging in any operation, the first thing they do when they get back to their camp is to open a bottle of alcohol and drink up. Most times, they take more than a bottle. In due time also, they become addicted to it.

Military Personnel need to realize that the best solution to stress is not to indulge in abuse. Rather, they should inculcate effective health practices that will make sure that they are doing fine. They should rest appropriately and eat a nutritious diet.

For those who are addicted, it is essential for them to opt for treatment as soon as possible before it takes a great toll on their health.

There are addiction treatment services that cater exclusively for military personnel who are addicted, so it is advised that they opt for treatment and get their lives back on track.

A military personnel who is not addicted would be more productive and useful to the force in the long run.

The Military is a tough profession and it is not for those who have tough skins or those who desire to. When citizens of a nation are sleeping, the military are among the selected few who compulsorily have to remain awake.

The reason for this is, the safety of the nation lies in their hands, so they cannot afford to be complacent.

So, most of the times, military personnel do not have ample time to rest and care for themselves. The absence of this care results in a dent in all aspects of their health particularly their mental health.

There are various possibilities involved when the mental health of a military personnel is not stable. One of such possibilities is inability to deal with stress.

When a military personnel cannot effectively deal with stress, it implies that they might not be productive in the discharge of their duties. Another possibility is the presence of common mental health problems like anxiety, depression and a host of others.

A military personnel who does not know how to care for his mental health would not be able to fully functional. With time, they would be forced to retire.

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One of the ways military personnel can care for themselves is to rest effectively. This can be achieved by rotating shifts with other military personnel.

This time should be judiciously used to rest and not indulge in other activities irrespective of how seemingly important they could be.

Also, military personnel are expected to spend ample time with their family and friends. If they cannot be there physically every time, there are other means to achieve this.

They can always reach out to their families via phone calls and the social media.

As little as they could even though the time is not sufficient, military personnel are advised to always exercise. In addition, they should not neglect the place of eating nutritious meal which contributes to their overall state of health. This in turn makes them very productive during operation.