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73 FBI L. Enforcement Bull. 24 (2004)
Police Trauma and Addiction: Coping with the Dangers of the Job

handle is hein.journals/fbileb73 and id is 340 raw text is: aw enforcement officers face traumatic incidents daily. These events, typ- ically unexpected and sudden, fall well beyond the bounds of normal experience;' hence, they can have profound physical, emotional, and psychological impacts-even for the best- trained, experienced, and seasoned officers. The ability to cope with stressful incidents is a personal journey that depends on an officer's past experiences with trauma; appropriate develop- ment of coping strategies for stress; availability of support networks (e.g., family, friends, and colleagues); and recognition of the dangers of ignoring signs and symptoms of post-incident stress, which is a normal re- sponse to abnormal circum- stances.2 Regardless of an officer's personal experiences with traumatic incidents, avoid- ing, ignoring, or burying the emotional aftermath of a trau- matic event can lead to serious short- and long-term conse- quences. Sadly, however, some officers believe that substance use and abuse may offer the best way to cope with their otherwise unbearable feelings. Certainly, not every officer deals with stress and trauma by abusing chemicals, and not every officer who chooses to abuse chemicals does so to numb the effects of trauma. However, overwhelming evidence suggests that the two factors often are linked, 24 / FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin