Veterans that come home from war oftentimes are not the same person they were before. They have been in extremely traumatizing situations that have changed them forever. The non profit organization Young Diggers, founded by John Jarrett and Peter Walters, helps veterans to cope with the trauma they have experienced. In the article, “Effects of Military-related stress on Relationships” they explain how some people cope with trauma in unhealthy ways. These unhealthy coping mechanisms not only hurt the veteran, but also everyone around them including partners, and children.

One of the ways that veterans can cope is by using drugs and, “alcohol to ease their distress” (Jarrett, Walters8). Although people think this will help with the trauma oftentimes they make symptoms like anxiety and depression worse. Not only do they worsen symptoms, but they also lead to addictions which are very hard to break. Drug and alcohol addictions also hurt the people around the addict. An addiction leads to irrational behavior that can scar their family emotionally or physically.

When coming home from war sometimes veterans isolate themselves, “to protect themselves from becoming overwhelmed again by the retelling of the experiences” (2). To avoid reliving their experiences veterans might withdraw into work or spend more time alone. This isolation causes them to become emotionally detached from their partners, which can cause more symptoms of trauma.