General How Do I Bring Up Ptsd With Sufferer?

[bootz]

James, thank you for your reply. Your story sounds alot like what my love is going through.
I myself suffer with alcohol and substance abuse. I work a program of recovery and I know that for me getting sober was tough and I DON'T have ptsd. I can really relate to sobriety "drudging" up the bad stuff.
I have to learn to live life on life's terms, without using alcohol as my coping mechanism.

I am so glad that you shared your story. It has shed light on what my love is possibly going through.
Thanks again
Bootz

 

[James Burt]

Bootz, you are more than welcome. I'm more than happy to answer questions about this or even substance abuse questions.

 

[James Burt]

Or offer support in anyway. Stupid iPhone cut me off

 

[Proud wife]

My husband has come to me about his PTSD (not diagnosed though). He came to me during the holiday and asked to find a counselor and again last week with more info about his feelings/fears. The family live across country from the base he is stationed. He is now closer at school for a couple months. He said he know the steps to take, but I don't know when he will procceed. I told him I am so proud of him for coming forward and we will work together to get him the help he needs. He said he only sleeps when he is at home visiting. When alone he drinks to sleep. He is a very good man who "feels lost". I don't want him to drift further or wait to long to get him the help he wants/needs. I am a fixer and hate to see my family hurt, but dont want all his visits to be about us discussing this.This will be our first Valentines together in several years because of deployment, he has been deployed 3 times since 2007. This is killing me because of the complicated logistics involved with getting him help and we don't want to mess up his career. I do not know what to do.

 

[LizardViolet]

It's huge and a good thing that he wants to see a counselor. Are you in the U.S.? I am not military so I can't speak to how dealing with this will affect his career -- I hope someone else will speak up. But the VA does have counselors and if he says he knows the steps to take, I'd say offer whatever support he will accept to help him take those steps. If for some reason you don't want to go through the VA, there is a nonprofit called Give An Hour through which qualified counselors provide no-cost services to veterans.