Addictions We Treat

Substance abuse can find its way into the lives of military and emergency service personnel for untold reasons. Drinking and using illicit drugs may begin to take the edge off being exposed to the chronic stress and high-stakes hazards that go with the territory.

For active-duty soldiers on deployment, police, fire, or EMT, it can also become a coping mechanism for the unknowns and uncertainties of the job — the inability to predict the dangers that may or may not be right around the corner from day to day.

“The shock of each tragic and violent event has a cumulative physical and mental strain that, for some, is temporarily relieved by drinking alcohol or taking pain medication,” notes a report by the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC).

But self-medicating and compartmentalizing these occupational hazards become a combined increased risk for developing a substance abuse disorder or drug use disorder. And it’s common for those in the field to feel reluctant to seek treatment, which can continue the cycle of abuse. “After the difficult hardships they’ve handled, many veterans and first responders don’t want to admit they can’t handle their drug or alcohol use,” notes a Psychology Today report. “And they don’t want to admit that their drug or alcohol use is seriously affecting their lives.”

Remember that struggling with job-related trauma and a subsequent alcohol addiction or drug addiction isn’t something to be ashamed of. Treatment that respects your person, honors your service, and supports an authentic path to recovery is something that Aliya Veterans is proud to provide.

Here’s a look at our treatment bandwidth and the addictions we can help you overcome.

Substance Use Disorders

Substance use becomes a disorder when ongoing patterns of use lead you to become physically dependent or psychologically dependent, which can lead to severe, sometimes life-threatening, withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit. Substance use disorders (SUDs) can place a strain on every facet of one’s life, from their short-term and long-term physical and mental health, their job performance, and their relationships with family, friends and loved ones.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, more than one in 10 veterans have been diagnosed with an SUD, more than the civilian population. 5.7%, or 1.1 million, veterans also struggle with both an SUD and mental illness, notes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

And in a 2024 Florida Atlantic University study of substance abuse in first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic, 40% of respondents admitted partaking in illicit substances to relieve emotional stress from their work, with 22% using them to excess.

Substance use disorder encompasses two types of addictions we seek to help in servicemen and women and emergency responders: alcohol use disorder and drug use disorder.

Alcohol Use Disorder

The seeds of alcohol addiction are so often planted innocuously; what begins as an occasional or social drink can become more and more frequent and turn into heavy drinking beyond the legal alcohol limit. Where a drink was once a want becomes a need, and in the case of full-blown alcohol addiction, something required just to get through the day. An alcohol use disorder is characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control one’s amount of problematic drinking despite the adverse consequences (such as long-term health effects and alcohol poisoning).

How does alcohol use disorder start in vets and first responders? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) notes that among veterans with an SUD, seven in 10 struggled with alcohol abuse. NAADAC also notes a 16%–40% prevalence of alcohol abuse in emergency response providers in the United States, and one possible reason is peer encouragement. Psychology Today also notes that among first responders and veterans alike, binge drinking a large amount of alcohol is part of the industry culture.

“Alcohol is an ever-present option during leisure time,” says the report. “It’s accessible and normal, and it’s largely encouraged. In the end, those factors put people at higher risk of SUD.” And it’s the most predominant SUD among military personnel, according to NIDA.

Drug Use Disorder

Likewise, an overreliance on either illegal drugs or prescription medication can lend itself to developing a psychologically dependent drug use disorder. SAMHSA finds that of the vets with an SUD, four in 10 struggled with overusing illicit drugs, where cannabis use disorder, among other forms of drug abuse, is common in veterans.

However, according to NIDA, reported rates of illicit drug use among vets increase after being discharged from active service. In both active duty and veteran military personnel, drug addiction sometimes begins with a legitimate prescription for managing pain from an injury, stress, or a mental health condition that initially offers relief but soon turns into dependency. Drug abuse alters one’s brain function, making it incredibly difficult to stop even when the desire exists.

Polysubstance Use Disorder

It’s not uncommon to see someone abuse multiple drugs at the same time; in fact, SAMHSA data shows that one in eight vets (290,000 surveyed) struggle with both drug addiction and alcohol addiction. This type of polysubstance abuse can prove dangerous because of the unpredictable way two or more drugs can adversely react with each other, whether in the long term or combined together, raising the risk of developing other health issues.

A polysubstance use disorder treatment plan created and customized for you gives equal weight to the addictions and psychological dependence/physical dependence treated. Here, you’ll receive what’s called a dual diagnosis, where two or more substance abuse disorders co-exist, possibly with a mental health disorder.

Drug Addictions We Treat

Treatment for drug addiction needs to be comprehensive and follow a continuum of care that takes into account the entire spectrum of drug use disorders that can touch the lives of veterans, first responders and their loved ones. From stimulants to depressants, prescription medications to narcotics, each one can pose different outcomes and requires specialized treatment.

Here’s a look at what we can treat safely and effectively:

Opiates and Opioids

A group of some of the most powerful narcotics, opiates and prescription opioids are commonly administered as pain relieving medications that, when taken as prescribed, are immensely effective if you’ve had surgery or suffering from chronic pain.

But even when taken as instructed, prescription opioids carry a very high risk of addiction. Use can quickly build tolerance, leading to a dangerous cycle of needing more to achieve the same effect. This creates a powerful physical dependence, where opioid addiction can take an uncontrollable hold that calls for professional help. The risk of a fatal drug overdose is especially high due to respiratory depression, a danger amplified by potent synthetics like fentanyl or in illegal opiates like heroin.

Aliya Veterans treats every well-known and treatable opioid addiction, including:

Heroin addiction
Fentanyl addiction
Codeine addiction
Hydrocodone addiction
Oxycodone addiction

Stimulants

Stimulants are a class of drugs that stimulate activity in the brain and speed up the body’s central nervous system (CNS) to make you feel more alert, attentive and energetic. On duty or in the field, stimulant use is often an approach to stay awake and combat fatigue. As the body gets used to the heightened, euphoric effects stimulants give, stimulant addiction can take hold after a binge and crash cycle, where a user experiences a powerful high followed by an exhausting low. But this only drives them to use the drug again to diminishing effect.

Long-term abuse of stimulants can not only lead to addiction but foster a host of physical symptoms like tremors, headaches, dizziness, painful heart palpitations and stomach cramps, not to mention possible overdose.

We address stimulant addiction to:

Meth (methamphetamine) addiction
Cocaine addiction (including crack)
Prescription stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin

Sedatives and Tranquilizers

Opposite to stimulants are sedatives and tranquilizers, drugs that slow down brain and CNS activity. If you suffer from anxiety or insomnia, a doctor may prescribe a sedative to help you relax and sleep via their calming effects.

Sedatives and tranquilizers include:

Anticonvulsants
Barbiturates
Benzodiazepines
Muscle Relaxers
Z-Drugs

However, many people may overuse them beyond what’s instructed or seek them out recreationally, which increases the risk of abuse and dependence.

Barbiturates

Barbiturates are one type of sedative that historically were used to treat seizures, insomnia and migraines. Older classes of sedatives like Phenobarbital, Butalbital or Secobarbital may sound familiar for their name familiarity, but they’re much less common today, mainly due to their addictive and side effect potential and the risk of an accidental overdose, notes the Cleveland Clinic.

Benzodiazepines

Known colloquially as “benzos,” benzodiazepines belong to a class of anti-anxiety medications that work to make your brain less active. Specifically, they release a chemical called GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, which helps to slow down mental and physical overactivity. As Xanax, Klonopin, Valium and others, they’ve all but clinically replaced barbiturates as a safer option, but research shows that they still carry a high risk of becoming dependent when overused. (According to the Cleveland Clinic, 5 million people misused benzos in a recent 1-year period.)

Additionally, another class of sedative-inducing nonbenzodiazepines called Z-drugs is used to treat insomnia but is prone to abuse. With a faster onset than other benzos, they are known to create cognitive impairment, mental and physical impairments, and the chance of dependency/prescription drug addiction.

Aliya Veterans treats benzodiazepine addiction and Xanax addiction, among other disorders associated with benzo abuse.

Hallucinogens and Psychedelics

Hallucinogenic and psychedelic drugs include substances such as:

Ketamine
LSD
Psilocybin (AKA mushrooms)
Marijuana
MDMA

Hallucinogens and psychedelics also include other associated designer drugs that affect brain chemicals and can dramatically change a person’s perception of reality, their thoughts, and feelings. For this reason, they’re often used recreationally for altered states, but they can impart lasting long term and short damage to users. Signs and symptoms include:

Severe paranoia
Terrifying hallucinations (“bad trips” vs. “good trips”)
Lasting psychological damage
Tachypnea, or shallow breathing
Muscular numbness
Blurriness
Nausea/vomiting

And while cannabis is not classified as a hallucinogen, a marijuana addiction can have similar effects and lead to disordered use as a means of escape from the stresses of military and public safety life, calling for treatment.

How Does Aliya Veterans Approach the Addictions We Treat?

Treating the whole person — not just their symptoms — is a clinical philosophy that’s important to us. Rehab would be rendered ineffective and incomplete if your substance use disorder symptoms were addressed without considering the root causes of addiction. We look at what substances you’ve become dependent on, why you’ve used them and how to carve a path to recovery even when, at first, addiction may seem impossible to dig out from.

We aim to treat you with care and compassion, advocates for your health who respect your vocational sacrifices and act as a support network to see you through to a better, sober life.

Building Blocks of a Comprehensive Addiction Treatment Plan

One question we’re asked is how we get this done. Disorder treatment follows a trajectory called a continuum of care, a carefully plotted map of treatment phases that are meant to work in order as you progress through the levels of rehab:

Medical detox is an initial first step to safely manage symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol, drug or substances under 24/7 medical supervision.
Individual therapy like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of one-on-one counseling to explore the underlying drivers of addiction and find the underlying causes, whether it’s trauma exposure, job stress, peer pressure or coping with mental illness.
Many people also find benefit from a group therapy setting, counseling sessions with others in recovery where you can receive much-needed peer support with people who understand your challenges.
Holistic therapies — activities that support the healing of mind, body and spirit, like yoga, meditation or expressive arts therapy — are valuable assets to have in your rehab toolbox. Many people who chose us for treatment find that these alternative therapies opened up their eyes to new talents and hobbies that became fixtures in their sober lives.
Aftercare is the latter stage of a comprehensive addiction treatment plan, enabling you to find future support once inpatient or outpatient therapy ceases. It could be connecting you with local Alcoholics Anonymous or similar substance-related 12-step groups, transitional housing or life and job skills training.

Getting Quality Addiction Treatment

Believe it or not, obtaining this level of quality addiction treatment is as easy as emailing or calling us. There’s no such thing as waiting for days or weeks on end for a response; our admissions team is on hand 24/7/365 to answer your questions about rehab, the addictions we treat, on-site accommodations, treatment programs, recovery, insurance coverage, supportive family member resources and more.

If you’ve served your country or your community but have battled a substance use disorder, alcohol addiction or drug addiction, we hope you’ll do the right thing by reaching out to us today. We’re here to help.

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