The Police Trauma and Addiction

A job in the police force can be very challenging and highly stressful. Substance use disorders among police officers are estimated to range between 20% and 30% (1,2) as compared to under 10% in the general population according to Indra Cidambi, M.D., Sure Recovery. 

Percentage can be much higher depending on the kinds of exposure, such as natural disasters or terror strikes like 9/11, life-and-death situations, loss and deprivation, anger and assault, and a gamut of human experience and emotion. Most Police personnel are not only prone to high levels of PTSD, but also depression, anxiety and suicide. 

For example, Violanti and Aron (1994, 1995) found that the top four of sixty most stressful police work events were killing someone while on duty, witnessing a fellow officer killed, being physically attacked, and seeing abused and battered children.

Police officers, on a daily basis are exposed to violent scenarios, such as murders, mutilated dead bodies, irrational fights, mishaps etc. and therefore become dejected at some point in life to the point where they start hiding themselves in the shadow of addiction to overcome the trauma. Though they are deemed to have a great deal of psychological, mental and physical balance, repeated exposure to the things that are traumatic in nature can result in severe stress. While many officers find healthy ways to combat stress, such as exercising or cardio, others turn to drugs or alcohol for respite.

In addition, police officers’ working schedules can be gruelling, often extending to 12 hrs at a stretch in rotating and overtime shifts. As a result, officers can be experiencing fatigue and insomnia, which can impair their hand-eye coordination and reaction times. These unconventional work schedules can often deprive them of quality time with their families and friends making them feel isolated and left out.

A report published in The Journal of Law Enforcement found external factors, such as the attitude of the general public, affect officers physically and emotionally. William Westley, a social scientist, wrote that many officers view their relationship with the general public as their most pressing problem. Many of them consider themselves as under-appreciated. They regularly face criticism from citizens, see it in newspapers or watch it on the news. This ridicule takes a toll on their emotional well-being making them less confident. In fact, they feel they have less rights than the criminals they apprehend.

However, addiction doesn’t differentiate. Stigma relating to getting caught in public is higher for the police personnel as compared to the general public leading to further stress. Numerous factors contribute to stress, which is conducive to substance abuse. Officer.com notes that addiction and substance use disorders often remain underreported among police officers. There have been instances where the cases of addiction among police officers have reached public platforms or have become the subject of discussion on television shows. This is a major pin pointer though the evidence shows that substance use among police officers is similar to rates among adults in other professions.

How to get help?

Any type of addiction calls for a treatment. Good rehabs offer targeted treatments that promise anonymity and privacy for police officers to save their honour. It is essential to sign up for a treatment program that well understands the trauma that police officers and emergency responders experience on a daily basis. An outpatient program may be a good start if the police officer has not yet had any complications from addiction while on duty. An OP treatment helps him/her to keep up at work while still getting the treatment they need. In all other cases, inpatient drug rehab is recommended.