THEY DESERVE BETTER
buckled under the strain of his PTSD and he turned to alcohol. The dad-of-three, who joined the Army at 16, said: “For years all I’d known in the military was flight or fight mode. Then adjusting to civilian life while suffering flashbacks and nightmares was so hard. “Soldiers are strong and asking for help felt like weakness. I refused to acknowledge my mental health issues and my y life spiralled p out of control. “Before I knew it I lost everything – and becoming homeles homeless to me felt like hitting rock-bottom.” rock-bottom. Craig, from Corringh Corringham, Essex, added: “I thought I wa was fine, but I was drinking to self-medicate. self-m “My partner said I ne needed to get help after I lost it with h her a couple of times.” Craig contacted the t helpline for veteran cha charity Combat Stress and an went to a suppo support group to t tackle a his d drinking. Soon after, he was diagnosed with PTSD and began treatment – but his relationship broke down.
He said: “My partner changed the locks after I had a huge bust-up and spent a night in a police cell. I slept in IF veterans’ charities are right there could be more than 13,000 war heroes living on Britain’s streets.
Outreach teams have found people of all ages from all levels of service, sleeping rough with nowhere to go.
And in almost every case they discover the same thing – posttraumatic stress disorder.
Veterans are at risk when they quit the forces. They have often seen harrowing things and are left with long-term psychological damage. my car or an old mate’s sofa for two months after that.
“It was demeaning and a horrible blur for me, especially after feeling so powerful and respected in the military. The stress of the situation made my Without support for their PTSD, many veterans lose everything. And cuts to the armed forces have made things worse, as veterans struggle to adjust to civilian life.
The Sunday People has been campaigning since 2016 to get more help for those suffering PTSD.
We want the Government and military to do more. These veterans were prepared to make sacrifices for us. The least we can do is make sure they get the care they deserve. symptoms worse, the flashbacks and nightmares were worse and they became more frequent.
“Luckily, my friends and family were very supportive.
“But if I had acknowledged my issue sooner I would maybe have avoided losing my home and partner.”
Craig also had intensive PTSD recovery courses through Combat Stress to manage his condition. During occupational therapy he discovered a love of pottery, which helped him.
He added: “I want to tell other soldiers to know real strength comes from admitting you have a problem.”
The Ministry of Defence said: “We provide extensive help to veterans and their families, including funding the Veterans’ Gateway.
“The Government is spending more than £1billion to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.”
For information visit combatstress.org.uk. You can see Craig’s pottery at potteryptsd.co.uk.