hyperarousal, or the exaggerated startle response. quickly responding to outside stimulants and triggers and once again, that ties in with the need to prevent and avoid situations and circumstances that might cause severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress and just the reexperiencing. avoiding certain situations, which might make you feel you were right before where you were what created that post-traumatic stress. some common causes for post-traumatic stress with our current combat veterans, ied, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma and death of military individuals. within the disability community, and with our veteran community and within our populations in san francisco, one of the ways that the veterans who are dealing -- and really having a difficult time coping with post-traumatic stress, many find coping mechanisms in drug and alcohol and other substance-abuse and it's a coping mechanism that hasn't just begun to affect your current veterans, but many vietnam-era and world war ii veterans are struggling with the co