The vast majority of people with addiction have suffered
significant previous trauma, and many people who struggle with
addiction suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
simultaneously. But the treatment of these patients has posed a
conundrum: experts have believed that PTSD treatment should not
begin until the addicted person achieves lasting abstinence,
because of the risk that PTSD treatment may trigger relapse, yet
addicted people with untreated PTSD are rarely able to abstain
for long. Now, a new study suggests that there may be no need to
wait. Researchers found that using exposure therapy — the gold-
standard treatment for PTSD, which involves exposure to memories
and reminders of patients’ past trauma — can successfully reduce
symptoms of PTSD, even when people with addiction continue to
use drugs. And, although exposure therapy requires patients to
face some of their worst fears, it does not increase their drug
use or prompt them to drop out of treatment more than ordinary
addiction therapy