Can Someone Give Me Some Guidance?

[Ned]

Mate as you may kow I am assembing a Translate-o-mat in the Bar.
To which end, 'the shit'='f*cking mint'?

 

[Ammonthejarhead]

Well, us yanks were drinking shots and kept slamming them upside down. So the bartender comes over to us and says "can you please stop slamming your glasses upside down, you're really pissing the BRM's off" well we didn't know why, but then he explained that it was a put down to the Queen or the English royalty. So we ordered another round...stared right at them, took our shot and slammed the glasses upside down on the table. After that all bets were off and the riot began. Hey, we were angry young Marines...and again, we all played soccer, (football) the next day to squash things and it was all good.

 

[Ned]

It may not surprise you to learn that was probably a, ahem, invention (aka invitation). Any bloody excuse. Nice one. And welcome, by the way.

 

[Ammonthejarhead]

You weren't in the BRM were you????? :D

 

[Ned]

You weren't in the BRM were you????? :D

No mate. I am a pongo. But my line of work meant working along-side marines often.
And getting in to fights with them now and then.
And very recently doing a few jobs with a good booty (RM).
That's it. Apart from my horror of maxi-floats..........

 

[Ammonthejarhead]

My girlfriend wants to know what "Pongo" and "maxi-floats" means...well obviously I couldn't tell her because I don't really know...so she's "making" me ask you!!!!

 

[Ned]

Pongo is Brit Navy-speak for Army types (assertion is because squaddies don't have Navy access to showers they smell =pong)
Maxi-floats are those really scary beach-landing pontoons that you're supposed to be able to perch a lorry (truck) upon and it will get you ashore!
Been on several and I'd rather swim.......

 

[Jimmy1]

I would strongly suggest NOT going into the PTSD program unless you're REALLY needing help...they treat you like babies and take away nearly all your personal freedom. And they automatically treat you like you're a drug addict...and they treat EVERYTHING as an addiction, (coffee, cigs, caffiene, etc). My girlfriend has equated the program as how they treat old people in old folks home, and to be honest

Hey mate, when you think about it, there is a reason they treat everyone like that.

When I entered the PTSD program here, I was drinking heavily, smoking the weed, and popping any pill that would give me a buzz. Self medication to an undiagnosed veteran is the only way to quieten the noise in your head. They don't understand that prescription medication and therapy is the way to go. I am glad I did the program over here.
Some veterans never get any treatment and are turned away. They are the ones I feel for. Other veterans make the ultimate sacrifice because they have lost everything and take their own lives.

You sound like you have come a long way yourself mate. Well done. Hope we can help.

 

[Ammonthejarhead]

Hey mate, when you think about it, there is a reason they treat everyone like that.

When I entered the PTSD program here, I was drinking heavily, smoking the weed, and popping any pill that would give me a buzz. Self medication to an undiagnosed veteran is the only way to quieten the noise in your head. They don't understand that prescription medication and therapy is the way to go. I am glad I did the program over here.
Some veterans never get any treatment and are turned away. They are the ones I feel for. Other veterans make the ultimate sacrifice because they have lost everything and take their own lives.

You sound like you have come a long way yourself mate. Well done. Hope we can help.

Hey Jimmy,

I'm really glad you got the help you needed and believe me that program is NEEDED by a lot of the vets over here, but it wasn't right for me. I guess we all can handle stress and guilt in our own way and I didn't like how we were all lumped together when clearly we all had "different" problems. That program helped A LOT of the people I met in there, but they were REALLY bad off. Like I said...I'm glad they have programs like that...I just think it needs to be a bit "fine tuned" here in the States. Glad you got your help Brother!

 

[Jimmy1]

Yeah mate your right. The first day we all sat around wondering who was who and what service or corps they were in. It did not really matter. The one thing we had in common was we had Combat related PTSD.
It was a pretty flexible program though. If you were bored with the subject, you could sleep, but take notice when you needed to.

They do have inpatient programs too, but those are for the people who just don't have any control in their life.
I can't say I am lucky, but I have stabilised a fair bit over the last four years. I have a long way to go though.
Some veterans can overcome their traumas easily and move on. I know of veterans who were jibbering wrecks and now they have had therapy and have returned to service. Oh to be so lucky.

Look forward to hearing more from you mate.

Jimmy

 

[Ammonthejarhead]

Hey Jimmy,

Actually I was in an inpatient treatment center...it was more like workshops than therapy. My entire time there I saw my therapist 3 times. I had a completely different idea of what the program was going to be like...I thought it would be intense therapy for the problems I WAS HAVING, but instead I was forced to sing in a choir and learn how to deal with "my" teenage children which by the way I don't have any kids. I can't go into churches after what I saw in Africa so when they forced me into the chapel to do my "choir" I had a trigger and had to leave...then smoked about 5 cigs in a row. Tomorrow I have my first appt with a Vet center that is RAN by Vets to meet with a counselor that was actually IN the service. Those people in the inpatient center NEVER served and treated us like we were all nuts. Some of the guys really needed it and some hopefully got something out of it...I just wanted OUT!!!! I'm looking forward to my appt tomorrow...hopefully it will be a good experience.

 

[Jimmy1]

Ours was group therapy too, but it was all targeted at PTSD. We learnt the wrongs with self medication, we learnt about proper medications, anger, sleep, relaxation, relationships etc, etc. It was a lot to take in. It was like one big tool box and it took over a year for some of the stuff to start to sink in.
The facilitators had no service experience, but they had completed so many eight week PTSD courses, you could say they had a little understanding, but only from what they had been told. The best therapy I get is from this site and reading other info on PTSD.

Good Luck with your first appt.

Jimmy