Many people try to numb the pain of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with drugs and alcohol. But substance use is a poor coping mechanism that can make symptoms worse and lead to addiction. It can feel like you are caught in a loop with no end in sight. If this feels like your reality, or that of someone you love, you're not alone. Healing is possible, and there is a path toward safety and peace. Addiction and co-occurring PTSD treatment at Spring Grove Recovery in Colorado Springs, CO, can help you take your first steps.
What is co-occurring PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. It's a normal reaction many people have to an abnormal experience. However, not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD.
Months and years after the experience, the brain and body remain in a state of high alert, as if the danger is still present, making it difficult to feel safe. When PTSD exists alongside a substance use disorder, it is a co-occurring disorder. One study showed that nearly half of people with PTSD also had a substance use disorder (SUD).
Signs and symptoms of PTSD
PTSD is more than just bad memories. It affects every aspect of life due to symptoms like:
- Intrusive memories: Unwanted and distressing thoughts about the event, flashbacks that feel like you are reliving it, or nightmares.
- Avoidance: Actively avoiding people, places, conversations, or situations that remind you of the traumatic event.
- Negative changes in thinking and mood: Feeling hopeless about the future, struggling with memory, losing interest in activities you enjoyed, or feeling emotionally numb and detached from others.
- Changes in physical and emotional reactions: Being easily startled or frightened, always feeling on guard for danger (hypervigilance), overwhelming feelings of guilt or shame, and difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
Acute stress vs. PTSD
Trauma-like symptoms can show up immediately following a distressing event, and often do. When these symptoms occur within the first month, it can be diagnosed as acute stress disorder. PTSD is diagnosed when these symptoms persist for longer than a month and interfere with your daily life.
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
When someone experiences prolonged or repeated trauma, including ongoing childhood abuse or domestic violence, they may develop complex PTSD. CPTSD includes the core symptoms of PTSD, but also includes significant difficulty managing emotions, maintaining relationships, and forming a stable sense of self.
You deserve to be heard in a safe space.
The connection between PTSD and co-occurring disorders
PTSD rarely occurs by itself. Depression, anxiety, addiction, and other challenges are all common among people with PTSD. Co-occurring conditions make treatment and recovery more complex but possible.
The cycle of trauma and addiction
Alcohol and drugs seem like cheap, simple ways to self-medicate the pain caused by trauma. Substances can feel relieving, being used to numb flashbacks, quiet anxious thoughts, escape feelings of shame, or simply feel something other than pain. While they offer temporary relief, substance use worsens symptoms of PTSD. This creates a vicious cycle. Trauma symptoms push someone to use substances, substances wear off, trauma symptoms return (often worse than before), and someone feels like the only way to cope is to drink or use drugs.
Other common co-occurring conditions
- Depression & mood disorders: Feelings of overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest in life.
- Anxiety & panic disorders: Constant worry, persistent fear, and sudden, intense episodes of panic that feel terrifying.
- Sleep disorders & chronic pain: Insomnia, nightmares, and unexplained physical pain often stem from the body holding onto unresolved trauma.
Our integrated treatment approach
At Spring Grove Recovery, we believe you can't truly heal from addiction without also healing the trauma that fuels it. Our philosophy is to treat substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders, like PTSD, at the same time.
How it works at Spring Grove Recovery
We take a thorough, person-centered approach, and build trust with you at every step—from the very beginning.
- Comprehensive assessment: Your journey starts by being heard. We'll work with you to do an in-depth initial evaluation. We know it can be hard to talk about the past, but it helps us understand your experiences, symptoms, strengths, and what you hope to achieve in recovery.
- Person-centered care plan: Our team collaborates with you to create a personalized treatment plan. This is your roadmap to healing, and you'll be an active partner every step of the way.
- Dual diagnosis treatment in detox & residential care: Your care is integrated from day one. As our medical team helps you safely and comfortably manage withdrawal symptoms in detox, our clinical team begins the therapeutic work of processing trauma.
Evidence-based therapies for lasting recovery
We're committed to clinical excellence. As such, we use proven, effective therapies to treat co-occurring PTSD and addiction. Your personalized care plan will include some of these therapies to help you take lasting strides toward recovery.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): Helps you identify and change the negative thought patterns and beliefs connected to your trauma and substance use. That way, you can find healthier ways of thinking and coping with emotions.
- Medication management: Our on-site psychiatric team can prescribe and manage medications to help control severe symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, or depression, making it easier for you to engage in therapy.
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT): For some, medications like Suboxone or Vivitrol can help manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms. With fewer cravings, you can focus more on getting better, not just trying to stop drinking or using.
- Group therapy: You're not alone. Connecting with peers who have similar lived experiences can reduce feelings of shame and isolation, reminding you that you are not alone.
What to expect on your healing journey
The idea of starting treatment can be intimidating, but when you know what to expect, you can feel confident in taking the first step. We want to make the process clear and reduce any fear or uncertainty you may feel.
- Admissions: Your first step is a judgment-free, confidential phone call. Our compassionate admissions team will listen to your story, answer your questions, and help you navigate your insurance benefits, including Colorado Medicaid.
- Detox: If needed, you will begin your journey in our safe, medically supervised detox program. Here, our team will ensure your withdrawal process is as comfortable as possible.
- Residential care: Following detox, you will move into our residential care program. This immersive, therapeutic environment gives you space to focus completely on your healing, free from outside stressors.
- Relapse prevention: A key part of your treatment will be developing a relapse prevention plan that addresses triggers for both your PTSD and your substance use.
- Trauma-informed methods: Every aspect of Spring Grove Recovery—our staff, our program, and our physical environment—helps create a sense of safety, trust, and empowerment.
Begin your journey to peace in the Rockies
You don't have to carry the heavy weight of trauma and addiction by yourself any longer. Healing is possible. In the center of Colorado Springs, Spring Grove Recovery is a safe space where you can begin your journey with dignity and expert care.
Ready to take the first step toward peace? Our admissions team is here for you 24/7.
Frequently asked questions
The length of your stay is personalized to your individual clinical needs and the progress you make. Our goal is to provide you with a strong, stable foundation for a lifetime of recovery. Most people at Spring Grove Recovery spend around a week in detox and about 30 days in residential care.
While the memories of a traumatic event don't simply disappear, treatment can significantly reduce or even eliminate the painful symptoms. Recovery from PTSD means feeling safe in your own body again. It means learning to manage triggers effectively and living a full, meaningful life that is no longer controlled by the past.
We can still help. During our initial assessment, we'll talk about any complex or developmental trauma so your treatment plan addresses your needs. Our therapists are highly experienced in creating a safe space to address a lifetime of difficult experiences with compassion and skill.
We are proud to accept Colorado Medicaid and also work with many major commercial insurance plans. Our admissions team can verify your benefits for you quickly and confidentially over the phone.
