Exposure to a traumatic event, such as a physical or sexual assault, or witnessing violence, can have many adverse consequences, including subsequent post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increased alcohol misuse (Breslau, 2009; Breslau, Troost, Bohnert, & Luo, 2013; Keyes, Hatzenbuehler, & Hasin, 2011) and poorer cognitive functioning (Aupperle, Melrose, Stein, & Paulus, 2012; Flaks et al., 2014; Olff, Polak, Witteveen, & Denys, 2014). It is estimated that 90% of the United States population are exposed to some type of trauma (Kilpatrick et al., 2013). However, only 6%–8% of the population are diagnosed with PTSD (Breslau, 2009; Ozer, Best, Lipsey, & Weiss, 2003). DSM‐IV alcohol dependence is more prevalent than PTSD, with approximately 12%–18% of the population meeting diagnostic criteria during their lifetime (Blanco et al., 2013; Hasin, Stinson, Ogburn, & Grant, 2007). Further, PTSD has high comorbidity with alcohol dependence (Blanco et al., 2013; Kessler, Chiu, Demler, Merikangas, & Walters, 2005).
