First Responders Can Be Addicts Too

Being in a first response career comes with a certain type of personal criteria. You have to be willing to run into situations people are running away from. You have to have a sense of honest fear and then still do your job correctly every time. And you have to be willing to wake up every morning knowing today could be the day you get killed protecting someone else from being killed. That’s an incredible amount of stress.

In the military, the same kind of constant risk condition ends up creating what is known as post-traumatic stress syndrome, or PTSD. For first responders, however, it’s simply part of the job. However, when a first responder begins to suffer from addiction to escape the fear, anxiety and stress of the daily risk, few want to talk about that. It’s not part of the hero persona expected with a first responder. That said, addiction is incredibly frequent and an ongoing risk for harm, job failure and even suicide among first responders.

A Career Standout for the Wrong Reasons

In comparison to other industries, first responders have consistently produced high rates of addiction and substance abuse. Whether with alcohol, smoking, drugs or a combination, first responders a framed into a high risk of addiction by a powerful combination “tough guy” expectations, work hard play hard culture, an unofficial code of silence about people’s problems even when witnessed, and work conditions that regularly produce PTSD symptoms. All together, a first responder over a career could have the equivalent of a dozen tour of duty stints in the military without a break; it’s just part of the job. No surprise, all that anxiety and stress comes out the wrong way with marriage problems, money problems, and substance addiction.

An Expansive Population is Effected

Being a first responder at risk isn’t just limited to police officers and paramedics. It can also include medical trauma teams, EMTs, emergency surgeons and nurses, trauma counselors, forensic teams, investigators and more. Essentially, anyone in a consistent role of dealing with emergencies directly is included. And they all share varying degrees of the same stress, mental angst, trauma and pain.

That aggregate toll of first responders and addiction can affect people of all backgrounds and ages, obviously impacting those with more intense exposure first but eventually taking a tool on most eventually.

Common Substances Involved

Alcohol and binge-drinking tend to be the most common catalysts, mainly because alcohol is legally available. However, over-the-counter medicines and prescriptions can be easily abused as well. It often starts with a need for temporary escape from the shock or trauma one has deal with, which can be overwhelming on a repeat basis. From there, the escape method becomes a habit until it doesn’t work so well. At this point the addiction kicks in, looking for a stronger and stronger escape.

Start Treatment Today, Not Tomorrow

There is never too late a moment to get started with treatment for a first responder. Even after years of hiding the problem, addiction recovery can happen and permanently stick. It comes with a combination of targeted counseling, withdrawal support and medical help, professional guidance and proactive follow-up. First responders have a brotherhood in the field, but there also needs to be a support net for addiction too.