(Intro skit)

It's not uncommon when people come in, for them to describe to us
That they've been experiencing a typical behavior
They've been behaving badly, um, acting in ways that aren't like themselves
Um, and this is not so uncommon with post-traumatic stress disorder
And there's a number of reasons why

First of all, people with PTSD often have, um, hyper-arousal
It's a hallmark symptom with PTSD
Um, where they've been in a dangerous situation once and their body is on red alert
Waiting for something else to happen
And so it's constantly scanning for threats in the environment

And people with post-traumatic stress symptoms
Often attempt to take care of their problems on their own
First by avoiding what reminds them of their trauma
Um, but if that isn't working, well, people drink

Uh, they use substances, they misuse substances as a way of coping
When we misuse substances, um, people often behave badly, right?
They get involved in activities that they shouldn't be
If enough of that happens, often a spouse or child or significant other parent will say
"Hey, you really need to change your behavior
Or I'm not gonna stick around any longer"

We frequently hear, uh, people come in and say to us, or their family and friends tell us
"Um, the person just doesn't seem like themselves
And doesn't feel like themselves"
And that could be an indicator that you might need help
Um, it's common after trauma to feel out of sorts, to be having trouble sleeping
Um, and those symptoms sometimes go away on their own, but often they do not
And when they don't, um, we're here to help