Liquid Trauma Treatment and Law Enforcement
For most professionals, when colleagues ask to grab a few drinks after work, this is seen as a friendly gesture to build relationships at the workplace. For law enforcement this can be seen and used as a way to cope with the stress and trauma from the job or to self medicate for anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. While the exact number is hard to calculate, it is estimated that approximately 23% of all police officers in the United States are alcoholics. To put that into perspective, there are an estimated 800,000 sworn officers in the United States which would mean approximately 184,000 officers are considered alcoholics. Some officer’s may have already been or will eventually become alcoholics, prior to being hired, due to genetic predisposition or the environment they were raised in. While this may be true, it is easy to see how the job and the lack of mental health resources available would lead to such troubling statistics.
The day I was hired and sworn in as a police officer, a family friend, who was an active duty police officer at the time, told me that I now had “a front row seat to the greatest show on earth.” Without knowing what the job entailed and the mental health issues that face police officers, I find it somewhat ironic that my family friend and I were drinking at the time. I saw the occasion as a celebration while he may have seen it as a way to self medicate to ease the pain of the demons he carried with him as a result of being a cop. The idea that I could sign up for a job where every day, every hour, and every minute was different sounded too good to be true. And at first, this was exactly what it was like for me every time I pulled that bullet proof vest over my head, buttoned up my uniform shirt, and shined my boots. Today, every time I put on that vest, I am quickly overcome with stress and anxiety of the unknown. The adventures of the job and the adrenaline filled incidents that I yearned for quickly became mundane and I felt as if I was becoming complacent which is a killer in this job. “The very nature of police work includes regular and ongoing exposure to confrontation, violence, and potential harm. Exposure to potentially traumatic experiences on a regular basis sets the stage for a series of mental health complications, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” (Maguen et al., 2009, p. 754).
Perhaps it was because of the COVID lockdowns without much else to do, or perhaps it was me subconsciously self medicating from the stress of the job, but I soon found myself drinking almost every night. My fiancé recognized this and quickly made me realize that it was becoming a problem. I am extremely fortunate and grateful that my fiancé had the courage to speak up and confront me about my drinking habits. For many this resource is not available and they are left searching for help while fighting to stay anonymous. The search may continue long enough where officers feel they don’t have any options and end up take their own lives. “Law enforcement suicide is real and is the number one killer of police officers,” occurring “1.5 times more frequently than suicide in the general population” (Rousseau, 2021, p. 7).
The stigma around mental health and its subsequent treatment is extremely prevalent in law enforcement but the more alarming issue is the lack of resources available to officers. This may be because of the stigma but leaders within the profession have a moral and ethical obligation to do better. I have heard from some classmates that their departments offer mandatory mental health services without questions asked and their colleagues are far better for it. This is an example of forward thinking leadership while combating the stigma that surrounds mental health. The country needs more leaders like this to step up and take care of their own. This will not only lead to healthier officers but it will also lead to better relationships with the public they serve.
Bibliography:
“How Common Is Alcoholism with Police Officers? – The Recovery Village.” The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab, The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab, 22 Dec. 2020, www.therecoveryvillage.com/alcohol-abuse/related-topics/facts-alcoholism-police-officers/.
Maguen, S., Metzler, T. J., McCaslin, S. E., Inslicht, S. S., Henn-Haase, C., Neylan, T. C., & Marmar, C. R. (2009). Routine Work Environment Stress and PTSD Symptoms in Police Officers. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 197(10), 754–760. https://doi.org/10.1097/nmd.0b013e3181b975f8
Rousseau, D. (2021). Module 6 Study Guide [Notes]. Boston University Metropolitan College.