CopShock: Second Edition
Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
by Allen R. Kates, MFAW, BCECR
Alcohol Use
Alcohol is frequently used to self-medicate, to
soften the pain from trauma. Heavy drinking does not always mean alcoholism but
it may. Sources listed here provide support for both alcohol and, in some cases,
drug-dependent people.
Adult Children of
Alcoholics,
World Service Organization (ACA WSO)
ACA is a
twelve-step, twelve-tradition program of men and women who grew up in alcoholic
or otherwise dysfunctional homes. In the safe environment of their support
meetings, ACAs discover how their childhoods affected them in the past and
influence them in the present. They take positive action to find freedom from
the past and improve their lives today.
Go to: http://adultchildren.org. Write: ACA
WSO, P.O. Box 3216, Torrance, CA 90510. Phone: 310-534-1815.
Al-Anon/Alateen
This worldwide
organization offers a self-help recovery program for families and friends of
alcoholics whether or not the alcoholic seeks help or even recognizes the
drinking problem. Based on the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, the program
has no dues or fees for membership. In twelve languages, the website focuses on
adults whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking and on
teenagers growing up in alcoholic families.
Go to: http://www.al-anon-alateen.org.
Write: Al-Anon World Service Office, 1600 Corporate Landing Parkway, Virginia
Beach, VA 23454-5617. For meetings in the USA and Canada, call toll-free:
888-425-2666. In the US, phone (757) 563-1600.; in Canada, phone (613) 723-8484.
For meetings in over thirty-eight other countries, see the Al-Anon
website.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
AA is
the foremost organization for sufferers of alcoholism and heavy drinking with
many groups worldwide. Presented in English, Spanish and French, AA’s website
provides a self-test for alcoholism and a description of what AA offers such as
anonymity and a twelve-step program. Check the telephone book for the nearest
group.
Go to: http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org. For the U.S. and Canada, write: General Service Office of
AA, P.O. Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163. Phone:
212-870-3400. For over forty other countries, see the site’s International
Section.
Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies
(CAAS)
CAAS conducts research and provides publications, education
and training. Its website offers information and resources for people who may be
addicted to alcohol or drugs.
Go to: http://www.caas.brown.edu. Write:
CAAS, Box G-S121-5, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912. Phone:
401-863-6600.
Focused Treatment Systems
(FTS)
FTS provides information about alcohol and drug abuse
treatment. It offers for sale the Alcohol Withdrawal Treatment Manual, a
clinically proven method for alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) treatment. This
is a practical book for clinicians.
Go to: http://www.sagetalk.com/. Write:
P.O. Box 530, Glen Echo, MD 20812-0530. Call toll-free: 800-728-6799. Phone:
301-320-0529.
Internet Alcohol Recovery
Center
This website offers extensive information and support for
people who feel they drink too much. For those uncertain about the extent of the
problem, a self-test is provided. Featured also are alcohol and recovery news
stories, a library and a description of clinics, organizations and support
groups.
Go to: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/recovery. Write: Joseph R. Volpicelli, MD, Ph.D., Treatment Research
Center, 3900 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6178. Phone:
215-248-6025.