PTSD: Is There Any Hope?

Perhaps you have heard about the tragic death of Austin Eubanks, the 37 year old survivor of the 1999 school shooting in Columbine, Colorado. Austin died on May 18, 2019 of an apparent overdose. He became a national figure in the battle against narcotic addictions. You may think, if Austin became addicted, got treated and then died, ptsd: is there any hope for me?

He became addicted when receiving narcotics for pain after being shot twice. He said the pain medicine took away the extreme emotional pain from the trauma of watching his classmate die.

“I often think back to my pain that day,” he said in the Tedx Mile High talk. “And if I were to rate it on a pain scale, my physical pain would have been a 3 or a 4, and that was likely the response I offered when I was asked. But my emotional pain was an absolute 10. I was in agony beyond comprehension. But that was never asked, it was never talked about.”

I strongly recommend that you watch the entire talk at this link:

Austin experienced post traumatic growth as he toured the country speaking about drug addiction in an effort to help other people. Additionally, he was an inspiration to many people as he became an educator to medical professionals about the role of PTSD in addiction. He also worked to bring awareness and prevention to communities. In my opinion, he was a superhero who fought the demons and experienced post traumatic growth.

Why Did He Die?

We often take two steps forward, then one step back when we are growing and changing. Yes, Austin did die as a result of his battle with PTSD. However, that does not take away the growth he achieved in his life.

Moreover, he was able to have a major positive influence in the medical and addiction recovery circles. We are already seeing the benefits of his work with others. The major push in medicine to curb opioid addiction and overdose rates is in part, a result of Austin’s work, and others like him who took the fight public.

Will I Survive And Grow?

If you are suffering with PTSD, you may wonder what fate awaits you. After all, if Austin died even after all the good work and growth he achieved, is there any hope for me?

I think the answer for that is yes but, not a simple yes. We all recover at our own rate, depending on how much support we have and what life skills we are able to develop. In my own experience, I had to confront the pain to get to the other side. Yes we can all grow, but we will grow at different rates and times.

Surviving and growing comes from taking one small step at a time. The road may be rocky, yet it is passable.

Self medicating with drugs, alcohol or food, to name a few, never leads to growth or relief. As Austin shared in his Tedx talk, we cannot numb the pain and expect to recover. We have to walk through the pain to get to the other side. However, you do not have to do this alone.

If you have not taken this step yet, I encourage you to reach out for help. Many communities have free services for those who do not have health coverage. Additional help and support can come from joining groups such as Alcohol Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

If you are interested in reading about one test I use for post traumatic growth, read https://thegrittybitch.com/ptsd-one-test-for-growth-and-recovery/

Feel free to leave a comment below and tell us about your experience with post traumatic growth.

Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash