It is often a symptom of PTSD to suppress memories, feelings and thoughts, and what better way than alcohol and substance abuse. When I say substance, that can vary from cigarettes to marijuana, to cocaine, speed or acid (heavier drugs).

Now, be honest, and fit yourself into one of the following three categories:

1. Use - having a little bit sometimes, small amounts occasionally.
2. Abuse - over indulgence sometimes, binge drinking.
3. Dependence - feel like you NEED to drink. May affect your life negatively.

Most sufferers of PTSD have denial of the problem, thus they often can't self reflect, though this is handy for family members to possibly identify whether they are abusing or dependant upon alcohol.

Personally, I have been through all three at one stage or another since my life turned around in directions I still struggle to comprehend, though I now sit in the USE category. I will use myself as an example to demonstrate what you may need to look for.

Use - This is pretty easy... either someone has one or two drinks, maybe a week, maybe a month, and that is all.

Abuse - This is they typical style of weekend binge drinking. You can suppress many things through working and keeping yourself busy, but when the time off comes around, you spend more of it drunk than sober, awaiting to go back to work again. I used to work and sleep, or drink and get drunk.

Dependence - This is when you start having a drink at lunch times, you NEED it to go to sleep at night, etc etc... that is dependence, regardless how you look at it. At one point for myself, I was drinking home brewed rum at 70% alcohol / per volume, and having atleast five of those per night to get to sleep, so if I dreamed I couldn't remember them.

Use is acceptable, especially for someone with PTSD. Abuse and dependence is nothing short on insane for us, and I have first hand experience with this. Alcohol is a depressant, and when you come down from the alcohol, depression sets in worse than ever.

is it common for someone to totally avoid / not need any booze or substances at all ?
One thing ive noticed in the past 3 years is that I can count the alchoholic drinks on one hand.
Im not trying to avoid life or submerge my sorrows in drugs... maybe life is worth just being alive :)

Well, I don't think avoiding / not needing alcohol is a bad thing at all. I think everyone concerned would he happier if your not drinking with PTSD, than are drinking. Nice work mate, and well done.

I also now only drink very very little... maybe a few light beers on a hot hot day, which isn't often... maybe once or twice a month, maybe! Good stuff Ben, good to see others not relying on it to suppress... considering it is such a depressant.

This is me too. I have a couple of theories on this (surprise surprise - seems I do far too much thinking for my own good!)

I was put off smoking and alcohol having been forced to visit dying relatives in hospital who were there through smoking or drinking. Not a pleasant experience, but I guess it had the effect my parents were looking for.

On top of that, I can't stand the possibility of losing control if I am drunk. This has, in fact never happened - I'm unfortunately one of those people who can get totally plastered, yet still remember exactly what I and everyone around me did. This kind of defeats the object of getting drunk to forget!!!

I also have a fear of being physically sick, having been reprimanded for being ill when I was younger - ruins the sheets apparently (how unfair is that on a kid?).

I also have a need to be able to run like hell if the need arises.

Anyway, as you can probably guess, I am usually the designated driver whenever I actually take the risk to go out anywhere. My friends accept that I will give them a lift in, but if it's a late night in town, everyone gets there own way home. This means that I can leave if/when I need to without feeling bad about abandoning my friends.

I'm really just a control freak!

I am fighting dependancy right now... if I could change it to abuse, I know I could get it down to use. Just like piglet I think I'm a control freak... I've quit addictions before, it's just that PTSD makes it friggin insane and impossible at times.

It has to be done though, especially if you want to cope with PTSD. It hurts to face things without something to suppress it, but alcohol is most definately not the answer. There is nothing wrong with having a beer or two each day, but that is the limit for someone with PTSD IMHO. I changed after ridding alcohol that much, I noticed it and couldn't deny it to myself. I would be drunk most of the time, trying to suppress everything, but it was making things worse, and I know that now.

Still now, sometimes when I am having a rough trot, I want to just go get sloshed and wipe it all from me, but I know that the problem will just be waiting for me to sober up, so I just say stuff it now, and work my own way through things, in my own time. Alcohol tends to keep a denial facet around within oneself with PTSD, which we really can't afford to do... from my experience anyway. I have mates who are still dependant upon alcohol, and are depressed daily, suicidal, angry, agressive, etc etc etc, but they know they have PTSD, and they know its not a solution, but they refuse to change. They aren't doing very well... to say the least.

no, it's not an alcohol dependancy... but I hear what you are saying

I concur with Anthony's opinion that alcohol is not the solution. I observed his drinking habits to suppress the impact of PTSD and it was not pretty. Something else I have noticed with Anthony because he rarely drinks now, if he has a binge session (which he does occasionally) he is ill for days afterwards. He will tell you, as he has me, that it is not the alcohol but the crowds (etc) that create the aftermath. Perhaps it is a combination of both but the alcohol (which is a depressant) really tends to mess with him. My preference would be that he never touched the stuff again - ever!! He really becomes so ill that he cannot function for the minimum of a day, usually requiring a 24 hour period of rest and sleep to tackle the worst of it.

I smoke joints to deal with my daily anxiety, I find it's the only thing that can calm me down. Since I have tried to quit smoking weed, I have noticed that I have been getting drunk instead...

it's just so hard to deal with real life sometimes, and I'm afraid to tell my counselor about my habits because they will just associate any of my problems with drug use. But I don't smoke before Doctor appointments and I try to wait until after supper to smoke my first joint.

Lots of people with PTSD use pot to help with the problems. I don't think your counsellor would be shocked actually, if she knows well enough about PTSD. She probably already knows, and is just waiting for you to say it.