PTSD and Addiction

I have PTSD, never knew I had it but the symptoms were all there from the time I was in the service, Hospital Corpsman Vietnam. After 49 years of being denied V,A, benefits, my files being lost or shredded, told by V.A that I did not qualify I finally was interviewed by a psychiatrist and he confirmed that I did suffer from PTSD, had been since 1968, had all the classic symptoms, used drugs and alcohol to cope with the disease.
The (12) Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous helped e considerably, shared by demons so to speak, related to others with the same disease, found out I was not alone which cut the problem in half.