When you’re on the front lines, everyone expects you to have no fear. While that might be true in a moment of crisis, shouldering that responsibility takes a toll over time. Many brave current and former military members have excessive amounts of stress, mental and physical health issues, and chemical addictions. To provide the relief they deserve, Fair Oaks Recovery Center offers the Tactical Recovery program as effective treatment for military personnel and Veterans.
Individuals Who Serve Face Many Challenges
Current and former members of the military, law enforcement, and first response teams don’t hesitate to step up when needed. However, that doesn’t mean what they experience in the face of danger and emergency situations simply fades away. It takes dedicated effort to focus on maintaining good emotional, mental, and physical health.
Unfortunately, many individuals suffer silently or resist getting proper care due to many factors including, but not limited to:
- Prevailing culture. In 2022, the New Lines Institute (NLI) released findings indicating many sobering aspects of hyper masculinity and its impact. For example, “the heightened pressure to appear unaffected by traumatic events and limited access to critical health services such as psychologists and counselors can result in a lack of help-seeking behavior and an increased likelihood to perpetrate violence, particularly for men,” according to the report. Additionally, “the pressure to perform in high-stress environments, such as during special forces training, results in many service members, often men, turning to substance use as performance enhancers to meet physical demands or as a palliative for trauma or injury.”
- Fear of discharge or dismissal. Thousands of service personnel tend to hide their substance misuse behavior and its resulting problems because of the military’s zero-tolerance policies. Additionally, some emotional and mental health conditions were grounds for release until the 2023 enactment of The Brandon Act, a focused effort to help improve individuals’ access and care for these issues. Nevertheless, many active and former military members hesitate to seek help due to prejudice within ranks and among commanding officers.
Although the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act became law in 2018, studies indicate “public safety officers, particularly those in law enforcement, are at a considerably higher risk of suicide. A recent study concluded that LEO officers have a 54 percent increase in suicide risk compared to civilians.” In 2023, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released its annual report that indicates “suicide was the 13th leading cause of death for Veterans overall, and the second-leading cause of death among Veterans under age 45.”
PTSD and addiction are also quite common among individuals who serve. The VA notes that 7 out of every 10 Veterans will have PTSD at some point in their lives. Kaiser Permanente released findings in 2020 that state “depression and PTSD are up to 5 times more common in first responders…but 57 percent fear negative repercussions for seeking help, and 40 percent fear being demoted or fired.”
Despite all these facts, many individuals affiliated with the armed forces, law enforcement, and first response teams avoid seeking help due to the belief that treatment providers won’t be able to relate to their experiences.
How Tactical Recovery Can Help
At Fair Oaks, we recognize the importance of working with providers who specialize in caring for this special population and their families to ensure they receive quality support and treatment. So we offer Tactical Recovery: a specialized Veteran-Ready program in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care Network and PsychArmor.
Our staff is trained to create a culturally competent and trauma-informed inclusive environment that fosters healing and long-term recovery. Our multidisciplinary team develops personalized treatment plans structured with various modalities to meet each client’s specific needs and goals.
Here’s a snapshot of what the Tactical Recovery treatment program provides you:
- 24-hour nursing and psychiatric care
- Focused diagnosis and treatment for co-occurring conditions
- Cognitive behavioral therapy education and group
- Dialectical behavior therapy education and group
- Grief and loss group
- Process group
- Trauma-informed care including a Seeking Safety curriculum
- Acceptance and commitment skill training
- Relationship skill training
- Socialization and interpersonal skill training
- Anger management training
- Field-oriented mutual aid support groups
- Living in Balance curriculum
- Relapse prevention (Gorski-trained)
- Individual sessions addressing relapse prevention
Confidentiality is a critical component of this program to ensure individuals feel safe seeking treatment without fear of retribution.
Find the Care You Deserve at Fair Oaks
Fair Oaks Recovery Center in Sacramento, California, is a licensed Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospital, a status granted by the California Department of Public Health to addiction rehabilitation and dual diagnosis treatment facilities that provide high-level acuity care. Through Tactical Recovery, we design a comprehensive continuum of care plan to help you understand the root causes of behavior and, most importantly, learn new wellness techniques to better your life. Allow our board-certified medical team to give you the healing care you deserve—call us today to learn how we can help.
If you or a loved one needs immediate assistance, one of the following free, confidential hotlines can help.
- First Responder Hopeline
Call 1-866-4FL-HERO
A specialized lifeline available to all first responders, including firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and police officers.
This non-medical online portal provides resources for military members and their families regarding stress reduction, relationship building, and other vital services.
Call 800-799-7233 or use the online chat. The organization, open to help everyone, also provides additional support for children and members of the LGBTQAI+2 community.
Call 877-717-7873 for the trauma hotline, and visit the website to find a local support group.
Visit the website to use the 24/7 live chat feature and find different resources for active/retired military members and their families.
Dial 988 then press 1. This therapeutic resource is open to all active and former service people and family members and friends of military personnel.
