Skip to main content

Healing from PTSD and Addiction in New Jersey

Written by
On August 1, 2025

Treatment for PTSD and Addiction in New Jersey

Surviving a serious car crash, tours of military service, or any type of assault can put a permanent stamp of fear on daily life. Countless New Jersey residents end up turning to substance abuse, like alcohol or heroin use, to help quiet the racing thoughts or suppress constant nightmares and hypervigilance. It may work for a short while, but eventually, that turns to dependence that only worsens existing anxiety and disrupts what little sleep might be possible. This leads to hospital visits featuring panic, flashbacks, and withdrawals.

Treating PTSD and addiction in New Jersey as separate issues can leave trauma unaddressed and raw, while cravings are still raging. Integrated treatment provided from a trauma-informed position can more easily calm the nervous system while memories are processed safely, and routines are created that can help sustain long-term recovery.

How Trauma Fuels Substance Misuse

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that keeps the brain on high alert at all times. This means startling at loud sounds, replaying traumatic scenes or traumatic events in nightmares, or just experiencing a general feeling of detachment from friends and loved ones. 

Substances hold the promise of quick relief, with alcohol slowing hyperarousal, benzodiazepines numbing the intense flashbacks, and stimulants ramping up hollow motivation.[1] While they’re each functional at the beginning to a small degree, each subsequent dose teaches the brain to self-medicate, furthering the cycle that links PTSD and addiction. 

Over time, a substantial tolerance grows, withdrawals mimic conventional anxiety, and substance use becomes another major trigger. Lacking trauma-informed therapy that rewires memory and teaches better emotional regulation, both conditions reinforce the other without limit. 

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Common Signs that It’s Time to Talk to a Professional

While every case is unique, there are some symptoms of PTSD and addiction that indicate a need for professional treatment.[2] If any of the following symptoms are true, consider reaching out for help from a reliable treatment center.

Nightmares, intense flashbacks, or intrusive memories that only vanish when drinking or using substances.

Sudden anger, reckless driving, or partaking in risky sexual contact influenced by substance use.

Escalating isolation from friends and loved ones, including skipping work, or dropping classes to avoid triggers or hide substance use habits.

Withdrawal symptoms when reducing or stopping substance use, including but not limited to shakes, sweats, and feelings of panic.

Loved ones expressing worry about mood swings, blackouts, or uncontrolled spending while under the influence of alcohol or substances.

Evidence‑Based Treatment Options in New Jersey

A personalized treatment plan aimed at treating PTSD and addiction in New Jersey should be centered around trauma-informed care. This integrated care will include addiction treatment and treatment for mental health conditions. It starts with a detailed trauma screen and substance use assessment upon intake. Clinicians will take this opportunity to map flashback frequency, substance amounts, frequency of use, and overall medical risks.

Holistic Therapies and Medication Management

The combined application of both therapy and medication can help heal PTSD and addiction in New Jersey. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the leading therapeutic modalities for treating addiction. It deals with recognizing the harmful thought patterns and subsequent behaviors that are typically associated with substance abuse. CBT helps clients recognize that these distorted thoughts eventually contribute to addictive behaviors and teaches ways to modify those thought patterns. 

Dialectical behavioral therapy is another common type of psychotherapy that is used to help build skills that are essential to prevent relapse and build resilience.[3] DBT is an evidence-based therapy aimed at cultivating the skills needed for emotional regulation and tolerating the distress that life throws at us every day. Stress, being one of the main reasons that people relapse in the first place, is the inability to deal with the stress of daily life, which, without proper coping mechanisms, triggers use. 

Finally, some treatment plans include a medication component that allows both sides of the co-occurring disorders to be treated. Behavioral health helps refine the thoughts and behaviors behind addiction, while the medication component corrects chemical imbalances and similar challenges in the brain. Common prescriptions are for MAT-related medications like buprenorphine, while medications like SSRIs or sleep aids may be used to help control other symptoms and regulate routines.

Additional Specialty Programs

Customized treatment solutions for individualized care:

Executive Program
Vivitrol Treatment
Aftercare
Trauma-Informed Care
Dual Diagnosis
Recovery Capital
Alumni Services
Sober Living

Levels of Care for PTSD and Addiction at Ikon

Detox Placement

When clients are detoxing from substances with medically complex withdrawals, like alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids, it’s crucial to complete a medical detox program in a New Jersey licensed detox treatment facility.[4]

Partial Care

Partial hospitalization programs, also known as day treatment programs, offer the same level of intensity as hospital-based inpatient care, but without the overnight stays. Generally, 6-8 hours per day for 5 days a week.

Intensive Outpatient

Intensive outpatient programs typically involve treatment three times a week, lasting just a couple of hours at a time. Ideal for clients who need flexibility over structure.

Ongoing Outpatient

When clients meet their IOP goals, they typically transition to ongoing outpatient treatment, which often involves one weekly appointment for therapy and medication management.

Move Past Your PTSD and Addiction with Ikon

PTSD can be a white-knuckle ride for your entire life, both awake and asleep. Stability comes from reps, not sheer willpower. Individuals healing from PTSD and addiction in New Jersey need to practice short, repeatable, effective tools daily. Box breathing before a meeting, grounding strategies to fight flashbacks, and cold water face-dips to stop a racing nervous system in its tracks. When you’re ready, professionals are standing by to help you quiet the noise.

Contact Admissions Today

Frequently Asked Questions About PTSD and Addiction

Can I get medication‑assisted treatment and mental health treatment at the same time?

Yes. Trauma therapists coordinate treatment sessions and content modules while physicians manage buprenorphine or naltrexone so that the approaches complement each other.

How long before nightmares start to ease?

This will depend heavily on the individual, but many clients see fewer nightmares after about 6 weeks of combined EMDR and antidepressant therapy, though timelines vary.

Does insurance cover trauma‑informed residential care?

Most private plans and NJ FamilyCare fund short residential stays when a psychiatrist documents medical necessity for PTSD with substance use.

Sources

[1]Smith, N. D. L., & Cottler, L. B. (2018). The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder. Alcohol research : current reviews. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6561398/

[2] Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – Symptoms and causes. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967

[3]JM;, C. N. S. C. (n.d.). Field test of a dialectical behavior therapy skills training-based intervention for smoking cessation and opioid relapse prevention in methadone treatment. Journal of dual diagnosis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30646819/

[4] U.S. National Library of Medicine. (1970, January 1). 4 physical detoxification services for withdrawal from specific substances. Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treatment [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64116/