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I was gambling to avoid confrontation and to avoid communicating.

Elizabeth M. Hardy, US Army 1983 - 2004, talks about how her PTSD affected her loved ones.

Transcript

I had a relationship at home.

Actually, a pretty close relationship that I was in for,

my relationship is going on 27 years now.

And after coming back from Iraq, I avoided the relationship

because it was just an argument upon argument upon argument.

And I would run away from the situation.

There was a casino where I lived.

I used to hang out at the casino.

I hung out at that casino, I can't tell you for, one time,

24 hours, one time I was there and I was totally exhausted

and I drove home and went to work

that same day in that condition.

Yeah, I avoided a lot of things and I learned,

I'm not a gambler, I learned, after I went through treatment

that I was gambling to avoid confrontation

and to avoid communicating really.

'Cause I had no communication skills.

I was still in a war zone in my mind.

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