How sobriety helped Tiffany Lee Gaston overcome her post-traumatic stress disorder

How sobriety helped Tiffany Lee Gaston overcome her post-traumatic stress disorder

Approximately half of adults in the United States will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. While it may not lead to post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) for some, it does for many. Mental health advocate, mother of three, and fitness expert Tiffany Lee Gaston has not only experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (and come out the other side), but has also struggled for years with an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. A relationship that had to come to an end.

As a fitness icon, Gaston has graced eleven fitness magazine covers, competed in several fitness competitions, and helped others get into the best shape of their lives. However, when traumatic events occurred in her life, the fitness influencer soon realized, thanks to her therapist, that her unhealthy relationship with alcohol was exacerbating her post-traumatic stress disorder and slowing any healing progress.

Luckily, Gaston entered the ring and battled fiercely with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. Now he helps others with their mental health and sobriety. Sure, she's ripped from head to toe and super strong, but that's how she gains strength on the inside.

I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, with alcohol fueling the fire

Gaston was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in the summer of 2020 after feeling depressed and having difficulty understanding her feelings following a traumatic experience.

She had long struggled with anxiety, which she admitted was debilitating at times, but this time it felt different. “I spent about two weeks denying my therapist’s diagnosis before I decided to attack it head-on,” Gaston says. She wanted relief and was willing to work toward healing.

Gaston and her therapist developed a plan and Gaston made it her full-time job to understand and overcome it, while simultaneously trying multiple modalities to break free; While her drinking reached new heights.

“I was running from myself,” Gaston remembers. “I needed to locate the bullet hole so I could begin repairs and avoid dousing it with fire.”

At first she struggled to break free from alcohol until she eventually realized that it was preventing her from integrating into her work. “I realized that I was getting in my own way,” says Gaston. Something many of us can do when we know a change needs to be made.

Scared Sober: The Moment Everything Changed

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears, and he did, which led me to make the spontaneous decision to give up alcohol altogether,” says Gaston. Just two days into a ten-day family vacation, following what felt like the most catastrophic event in their world, Gaston was desperate for help. With no support in her own home, she realized she had to face this situation head on.

“I had to decide for myself, otherwise there would be no me anymore,” she remembers. “I was alone with myself during the hardest time of my life and now I am grateful for that pain because I remember this: I needed that pain to bring about evolution.

Gaston explains the pain she continued to numb. She struggled to let go of what she saw as her security blanket until she literally sobered up from shock. That was the lowest point.

“We all look different at rock bottom, but I had just identified mine,” she says. “I was watching the final demise of my world, and as a last-ditch effort to save myself, I knew I needed the clarity that only comes from leaving it out altogether.”

Gaston realized what was necessary at all costs and did everything to save himself. “Pain was my greatest teacher,” says Gaston, and helped her make the change she so desperately needed.

Take control of your life: Stay sober for one more day

Although it is not recommended, Gaston became stone cold sober on his own. "I really didn't know I could do it, but it was clear something drastic had to happen, so I finally took control," she says.

Gaston realized early on that she needed support and explored a few groups, getting the most benefit from Narcotics Anonymous (NA) in the first few months. “It felt good to have a supportive community and to observe that despite our differences, we are much more similar than we are different,” she says.

While Gaston is no longer attending meetings live or virtually, the best way for her to continue on her journey is to not overwhelm herself with more than staying sober for one more day and to have identified her support systems for times of need.

“I’m grateful that giving up alcohol and everything that comes with it was a method of sobriety for me too,” says Gaston. “I feel better without it on every level and that will never be lost on me.”

The “one more day” mentality has helped her stay alcohol-free for over seven months.

Does alcohol hold you back?

“If you stop and realize that you're throwing kerosene on the fire, as well as alcohol, a sedative for depression and mental health problems, and just dig deeper, you might finally get the message,” Gaston explains.

Gaston's therapist had long suggested that the work she was doing to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder and heal psychological trauma should be further supported by sobriety, but she struggled to eliminate it until this behavior overwhelmed her system.

“I was finally able to realize that the very thing I was using to escape the internal struggles was actually making them all worse.”

Gaston learned that drinking away PTSD, anxiety, and depression doesn't make them better. “Now the cognitive challenges I was struggling with no longer control or stress me, and I hardly feel anxious anymore,” Gaston remembers.

Unfortunately, she got in her own way the entire time she was working hard on herself, only to sabotage herself with alcohol. “The clarity, memory, concentration and everything I struggled with is in the distant past,” she says. "It's crazy how we constantly lie to ourselves to justify our behavior until we end up flaunting it ourselves." Gaston says.

After Tiffany Lee Gaston decided to stop drinking alcohol, she took extensive steps to deal with trauma. This work, coupled with her sobriety, has allowed for radical healing from both old and newer traumas that she struggles with.

Gaston says she benefited the most from IFS therapy, but the effects didn't really take effect until the alcohol went away. “My therapist was right,” says Gaston.

Do you want to get sober and heal your mental health? Here's what you can get started with today! So far it has worked for Tiffany Lee Gaston.

Tiffany Lee Gaston shares tips for promoting mental health and sobriety

“We all know what we should do, but we don’t all get around to it.” Encourages Gaston and feels that getting sober is really about going back to basics – a lot of trial and error. A healthy morning routine has always helped Gaston succeed. Her training sessions prove that.

Here are some success principles and practices Gaston follows to help maintain better mental health:

• Richtiger Schlaf/Erholung
• Ernährung
• Flüssigkeitszufuhr
• Bewegung – Spaziergänge in der Natur während meiner Behandlung beschleunigten meine Heilung exponentiell.
• Community-/Selbsthilfegruppen
• Meditation – übe Dankbarkeit und Präsenz
• Tagebuch schreiben
• Atemarbeit
• Hypnose
• Therapie
• Psychedelische Psychotherapie – Ketamininfusionen halfen meiner posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung

Words from Tiffany Lee Gaston to those who struggle

• Sie sind nicht allein: “Ich habe mir selbst am meisten geschadet, als ich mich von Familie und Freunden zurückzog und mich aus Scham zurückzog.“ Bis sie offener darüber sprach, hatte sie keine Ahnung, wie viele Probleme sie hatte.
• Nicht jeder schafft es alleine: Sie dürfen keine Angst haben, um Hilfe zu bitten. „Es gibt viele Programme und Ressourcen, also finden Sie heraus, was zu Ihnen passt, und diese zusätzliche Unterstützungsebene kann sich schon früh wie Stützräder anfühlen.“
• Lernen Sie Ihre Auslöser kennen : Manche Menschen müssen möglicherweise aus Ihrer Erfahrung ausgeschlossen werden, wenn sie Sie nicht unterstützen. „Meine Online-Community hat sich ein wenig verändert, um meine neue Position stärker zu unterstützen, und ich habe gesehen, wie viele nüchtern und neugierig geworden sind.“
• Gemeinschaft ist der Schlüssel: „Es ist augenöffnend, die Liebe überall zu spüren, wenn man sich am hilflosesten fühlt.“ Sagt Gaston. Hier wurde ihre größte Stärke geboren. Hier wurde ihre größte Stärke geboren. „Ich gehe mit klarem Blick und dem Wissen voran, dass sich ohne Alkohol alles in meiner Welt verbessert hat.“

Just as Gaston's entire life improved through alcohol withdrawal, your life can improve too. There is a wealth of supportive and encouraging sites on social media. If you need immediate help, you can contact this hotline.