Substance Abuse in the Military
Substance abuse amongst military personnel and veterans is a growing problem in the United States’ Military as well as Militaries of other countries. The British military reports that in 2003 there were 517 cases of illegal substance abuse and that number increased to 769 by 2006. More recently, three Australian soldiers have been sent home from Afghanistan due to drug abuse.
In the United States wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have placed a great deal of strain on the men and women in military both physically and psychologically. As Bob Curley reports in his article “Wounds of War: Drug Problems Among Iraq, Afghan Vets Could Dwarf Vietnam”, long tours, combat and being away from loved ones for long periods of time are the major stressors for soldiers. To deal with the stress and injuries endured during combat and training, soldiers turn to alcohol and other drugs for relief.
Prescription drugs can be easily accessible to solders suffering from war-related injuries. Gregg Zoroya in his article “Prescription Drug Abuse Hits Mo. Army Unit Hard”, writes about a 26 year old solider, Jeremy Thompson, that plead guilty to abusing prescription narcotics. While doing combat training Jeremy dislocated his shoulder and was prescribed painkillers; he used them as directed. His injury required surgery but that was postponed due to his deployment to Iraq. Jeremy continued using the prescribed painkillers from 2003 through 2006 and became physically dependent on the narcotics. At first he was prescribed 30 pills a month and the doctor eventually increased it to 240 pills a month. There were other soldiers in Jeremy’s unit that were abusing prescription drugs in a similar way and their drug source was either the Army pharmacy or other soldiers selling their prescriptions. When an investigation was launched it was discovered that along with Jeremy, 12 other soldiers were charged with illegal drug use.
Drub abuse has been a problem in the U.S. military for decades. Jim McDonough, a retired U. S. Army officer and a former director at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said that historically, substance abuse has “not only been presented but fostered by the military”. Looking back at the Vietnam War we can see a similar pattern of drug consumption. Vietnam veterans returned to the states with heroin addictions. Today’s returning soldiers will most likely be addicted to prescription drugs and engage in binge drinking. A study published by the University of Minnesota and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that 43 percent of active-duty military personnel reported binge drinking. McDonough said that between 2004 and 2006 substance abuse incidents in the military went up 100 percent but treatment referrals went up zero percent. In order to keep our soldiers healthy this issue needs to be addressed.
Affordable and easily accessible treatment options need to be widely advertised to military personnel and veterans. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers treatment options for military families, veterans and active duty personnel.
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