Thanks for serving guys. I served in the Coast Guard for five years. I know how the military shits on people. It sucks.

Sarge, don't be embarrassed, man. There is nothing embarrassing about PTSD. It's been around for thousands of years. My grandfather had it bad after he came home from WWII. If he was walking down the road, and heard a car backfire, he would jump in a ditch. My grandmother said, "when he got back, he was changed," and she looked down and got such a sad faraway look in her eyes, I wanted to cry.

Me and my best friend in the Coast Guard were both very idealistic. We joined because we wanted to help people and serve our country. Little did we know that we'd spend a lot of time cutting grass, and doing busy work. We were very disappointed in the waste of taxpayers' money, and the disrespect those of higher rank would automatically show us.

I volunteered to go to Iraq, I volunteered to go to New Orleans after Katrina hit. Both times they said no, because, basically, they didn't like me, so they didn't want to give me what I wanted.

Me and my best friend were the subject of constant harassment. They didn't like us, because we are happy and free-spirited, and they wanted us to be miserable lifers like them. We often talked about getting out before our time was up. Using the gay card. Feigning sleepwalking.

We finally ended up doing our time until our enlistment was up.

I also used to drink heavily to deal with the stress of work. It didn't help. I would just get nuts, and kind of annoying to be around.

I know this sounds corny, but do your best and stick it out. My opinion. You might be able to get out on a hardship discharge if you get diagnosed with PTSD, but I don't think you get your GI bill. Also, there is a possibility the government will take away your right to own a gun if you get diagnosed.

My friend and I used to smoke right after we got piss tested, or when the command would go on leave. But, in a unit of 16 people, it's easier to tell stuff like when they are going to piss test. It was probably stupid.

Weed definitely does help with the stress of life. The more extreme the stress, the more it seems to help.
angry nomad Reviewed by angry nomad on . Combat PTSD I'm a Beiruit Vet who lived with undiagnosed/untreated Combat PTSD until 9/11 totally blew my world apart and and I had a PTSD driven nervous breakdown. Since October of 2001 I have been treated by both a civilian psychiatrist and the VA Health Care System with little or no improvement and a quality of life that was in the toilet. A little over a year ago I rediscovered marijuana and found instant relief from the symptoms of PTSD and I'm beginning to like my life and who I am. I just wish I Rating: 5