How Does Alcoholism Affect Our Military?

2014-11-12T13:23:22-05:00

Men and women in military service use, and abuse, alcohol more than their civilian counterparts. Is there something that can be done to decrease alcoholism within the military?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 2:38 PM

2014-11-12T14:38:27-05:00

I am a big proponent of personal responsibility. I feel that if you treat Soldiers like adults, they will generally act like adults. However, if a Soldier proves to be less than adult about adult beverages then as leaders we should swiftly and strongly help him assess his priorities. We should also investigate into what was the cause; poor judgement, weakness to peer pressure, bad home life, low self estem, suicidal tendancies etc. We should not punish the whole for the sins of the few.

We used to have Officers Clubs, NCO Clubs and Enlisted Clubs; there were slowly erroded away to all ranks clubs then none at all (partly due to alcohal related incedences, and partly due to the lack of being held properly accountable, and partly due to progressive/liberal thinking) . As adults we should be able to drink and have a place to go with like minded individuals.

In previous wars Soldiers were allowed to drink; some units even operated their own bar. If a Soldier had a perticular rough mission he could releve some stress over a cold one. Now the Soldier is expected to keep his concerns bottled up inside. Ever wonder why depresion, PTSD, and suicide rates are higher now than before? I do not believe that self medicating with booz is the answer; however I do not believe the absolute removal of booze is the answer either.

Anytime that something legal is made illegal, you have not removed the item, you have only made criminals. [please feel free to use this logic to any item that leadership/government is trying to take away from its people]

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 3:03 PM

2014-11-12T15:03:21-05:00

Decrease the stresses on the military that lead them to alcohol in the first place. Although I would hazard a guess that alcoholism in the military is probably on par with the rate found at a large college campus...a large group of young people, away from home for the first time, with some money to burn.

Response by LCDR A. J. Westlund made Nov 12 at 2014 4:32 PM

2014-11-12T16:32:39-05:00

Excuse the Pun, but Sobering Statistics!

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Nov 12 at 2014 5:18 PM

2014-11-12T17:18:10-05:00

34,400 arrests per year, with half of those for driving under the influence. OMG, I didn't realize the problem was this pervasive. This is another great infographic produced by the RallyPoint Team!

Response by SPC(P) Jay Heenan made Nov 12 at 2014 5:32 PM

2014-11-12T17:32:52-05:00

See, this is why I don't drink! These statistics are scary. I don't understand the whole, 'gee, I had a stressed out day, I need a drink' mindset. I think we need more programs for service members, esp. the young ones. Programs that don't get axed because the risk assessment came back to high. Why not have a boxing club? We could start 3 gun competitions. Push more intramural sports programs. How about starting something that can be funded by the DoD and allow service members a healthy alternative to drinking and doing otherwise unhealthy things. We reduce the service members 'need' to drink, we can lower a lot of problems we are currently experiencing.

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 5:35 PM

2014-11-12T17:35:25-05:00

When I was in the Navy, alcohol impacted me as part of Naval tradition as a Sailor. Sailors are known to be hard drinkers and party-goers, and mostly known for a bad reputation. We had a motto in our Division (V-2 Launch & Recovery): "Work hard, party hard." It was part of being on a carrier and part of being in "One of the worst Divisions in the Air Department."

People labeled us as "Grease Monkeys" because we worked ungodly hours and could never stay clean since maintenance always involved some type of heavy grease. We did what we did best on liberty - drink.

I never got arrested or anything but yes, alcoholism affects our military. It really just boils down to how your Chain of Command handles morale. I don't think that there is anything wrong with alcohol as long as you drink responsibly.

When the morale is good and high, tension and stress are minimized which equals less instances regarding alcohol-related events. When morale is low, alcohol can be a problem when not considering it responsibly.

Response by SGT Rebekkah Thomas made Nov 12 at 2014 6:54 PM

2014-11-12T18:54:49-05:00

Instead of pointing fingers, perhaps we should be analyzing why these statistics are coming to pass.
These statistics look as if they are looking at veterans returning from war-time, not just the average soldier, and thus maybe these veterans are having a hard time transitioning, or are having a harder time coping with stress. Maybe we aren't giving our military members the tools they need to succeed after being in a war zone, so they turn to the only other thing they know that de-stresses them: alcohol.
As pointed out by a few other commentors, alcohol is a part of the military lifestyle; it probably shouldn't be.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 7:49 PM

2014-11-12T19:49:38-05:00

Well, according to my PHA having more than 3 drinks in a sitting means I'm an alcoholic... not to say I'd ever do such a thing.

That said, I know many people who drink their fair share. Hell, TDY's are like one big ol' drinking contest at times. Theres no harm in drinking here and there.

I think where it becomes an issue is when it effects your work, your family, your social life, and when you feel you NEED to drink, not WANT to drink. Sadly, that interpretation I'm finding is "wrong". I've had to recommend some guys to ADAPT because the drinking was causing issues, and they're better for it. But when the military classifies it in such a shallow way that anyone could break it just by having a rough day... makes you think.

Response by SSG Ronald Rollins made Nov 12 at 2014 8:28 PM

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I think it affects everything. I grew up where drnking was expected. I joined the military and it seemed that drinking was everywhere. If we went to an NCO call there was alcohol! And if you did not drink you were poited out to all in attendance. I do drink but I drink at home so I dont have to drive. I had many I had to pick up at the PMO or downtown because of drinking. I am not saying all drinking is bad but it must be controlled by the drinker and not the drinker being controlled.

Response by Cpl Dennis F. made Nov 12 at 2014 10:34 PM

2014-11-12T22:34:32-05:00

It would be really great if I could read these things without having to hunt down a magnifying glass.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 10:53 PM

2014-11-12T22:53:25-05:00

i truly believe that the statistics shown and what we are shown are a little on the false side, this is why 1) whenever a member is drunk or fails to fallow the 0-0-1-3 rule they are thrown into the same arena as the people that get black out drunk and do something dumb and seeing that we make up a small amount of the population it in turn shows a larger amount of people statistically "abusing" alcohol. 2)when a civilian gets drunk and goes home they do not have to check in with anyone ie quarterdeck, gate guards, LPOs. so they don't get shoved into a statistic. 3) if you policed every collage campus the way the military polices members then we would be taken out of the alcohol lime light within a week.

the odds are agents us due to the fact that we are viewed as ambassadors of the united states which paints a large bulls eye on our backs. no doubt that alcoholism is a serious thing in the military but on a nationwide scale i feel that it is not realistic to truly believe that .5% of the nations people have a larger problem with alcohol then the other 99.5% of the nation. just my 2 cents

Response by PO3 John Jeter made Nov 13 at 2014 12:58 AM

2014-11-13T00:58:40-05:00

Are these numbers for the military across the board or just field and combat personnel? Same with the civilian numbers. Are we looking at the rates among civilians across the board or just those in first responder services like Police, Fire, and Medical? Call me a cynic, but I have a great mistrust of statistics when the parameters are generalized like this....... I have to be certain I'm comparing apples to apples......
Alcoholism is like any other drug addiction. The only real difference is that the substance can be purchased legally. Couple the embarrassment of admitting that one needs help, with a culture that nurtures and encourages the traits of strength and self reliance and your victims are far less likely to come forward for help until it is too late. Even coming forward for help is not free of adverse effects on ones career. Loss of security clearance, lowered ratings on evaluations, even possible discharge from the service all combine to make alcoholism a no-win situation with very little advantage to be gained from seeking treatment.
Now I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of consequences is dated (further back than I care to admit!) but I believe, in general, they still apply.
I don't have an easy answer on how to deal with this problem. The loss of a single soldier to alcohol is one too many. Every soldier sidelined by this addiction is an open chink in our armor.
Perhaps we should take a lesson from the Spartans of old.......Every year they elected a citizen to get drunk and stay that way for the next year. His job was to stagger and reel through the streets of Sparta, unwashed, unkempt and as disgusting as possible. He was to serve as an example of the dangers of strong drink and it's effects. (I can only imagine the magnitude of the hangover after a year long drunk)

Response by 1LT David Moeglein made Nov 13 at 2014 4:15 AM

2014-11-13T04:15:14-05:00

As an alcoholic in recovery for 12 years now, I am wondering how I would fit in the army 17 years after my discharge? Would I need to drink the grog at initiations to new units? Is there a non-alcoholic version? Has the army/military changed in this regard? I'm guessing so, but I don't know. Comments?

Response by SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS made Nov 13 at 2014 8:12 AM

2014-11-13T08:12:20-05:00

From my own very personal experience, alcohol use and abuse is deadly. My best friend for many years was a British Royal Army Soldier and served in Northern Ireland. He was a constant drinker. After years of drinking he was diagnosed with cirrhosis. Soon after he was injured and unable to work. He mixed a deadly combination of alcoholic beverages and prescription pain killers, passed out on the way to the head, and died. Tragic.

Do I drink? Yes, occasionally. Do I drink to excess? No, never. A clear indicator about the acceptance of alcohol abuse in the military is when you go to the PX/BX or class 6 and notice they sell "Military Special" whisky, vodka, gin, etc. Why do we need our own?

Education is one step. The second, which we are trying to accomplish, is reducing the stigma of talking about what is going on inside your brain housing group. While not publicized, when I joined, platoon Sergeants (called platoon Daddy's back then) had significant life experience to go along with the Chevrons and provided counsel. My first USMC platoon Sergeant was a Viet Nam Veteran. Sometimes that counsel was at the spit shined toe of a boot and sometimes it was talking. Perhaps we need to slow promotions and ensure our Staff and Senior NCOs and Chiefs have the life experience to go along with the military experience before promotion. That is just one thought, but in a world of draw downs, harder missions with fewer resources, and more deployment time, that may just not be a real answer.

Response by SGT Steve Vincent made Nov 13 at 2014 11:47 AM

2014-11-13T11:47:17-05:00

I don't think alcohol is the problem, or the answer for that matter. The military has been changing over the past decades. I know it is a completely different beast now, than it was when I first enlisted over a decade ago. Hell, it's different from when I retired in 2010! I believe it comes down to a loss of accountability. I was reading the Army Times several years ago, when we were in the beginning stages of transitioning from BDUs to ACUS, and one Sr officer was quoted as saying that it is a good thing, because Privates won't have to spend hours every night, pressing and starching their uniforms, and polishing their boots. The ACUs look, fit, and felt like pajamas! As a Private, I strove very hard to make sure that when I was in garrison, I showed up to morning formation with boots that you could see yourself in, and a uniform that was the pinnacle of pressed and starched. I did that because I wanted to look as good, or better, than the NCOs in charge of me, and my fellow lower enlisted personnel. It wasn't a waste of time; it was discipline. It didn't take me "hours" every night to square my uniform away. It took minutes; minutes that I enjoyed, because it was a time to reflect on the events of the day, and to help me mentally prepare for the rigors of the coming day. I was in the only LRSD unit in Korea, and while I got there only a couple of months before they reflagged as a BN STB Security Company, there was a sense of esprit de'corps, of brotherhood, and professionalism that I never saw again the rest of the time I was in the Army. The guys in my unit were the most motivated, knowledgeable, passionate individuals I ever served with, and we took our job deadly seriously. We could drink the rest of the BN under the table, just warming up, but we did it as a group. We didn't have a single alcohol-related incident the entire time I was there, until we reflagged to aforementioned Security Company, at which point we went from about 45 guys up to 120, of which most were cherry Privates. It all comes down to personal responsibility, unit cohesion, and having a moral compass.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2014 10:13 PM

2014-11-13T22:13:53-05:00

While the statistics as presented may be true, I am skeptical that the problem is more pervasive in the military than in the civilian world. The vast majority (as nothing can be absolute) of alcohol related incidents and reported and documented in the military, whereas this is not the case in the civilian world. So again, not refuting the facts as presented, just suggesting the bias that appears present. Statistics can be shaped to fit agendas, good or bad

Response by SSG Buddy Kemper made Nov 14 at 2014 1:45 PM

2014-11-14T13:45:16-05:00

I've struggled with it for years, warriors. Two wives later and still struggle. Can't lie to ya'll. Battle it weekly.

Response by SGT Edward Thomas made Nov 14 at 2014 4:45 PM

2014-11-14T16:45:42-05:00

I entered the US Army in June of 1984, back then it was a drink as much as you possibly can thing. My first permanent duty station was at Fort Polk, LA. There wasn't much to do in off duty time but drink. It was common to see SFCs, MSGs and the occasional 1SG on Community Service on the side of the highways. It wasn't until the early-mid 1990s that when the drawdown started there became a zero defect Army and many fell victim to this. I think too often as soldiers/sailors/airmen and marines are subjected to deployment after deployment they turn to alcohol instead of seeking help. How do I know this? I am one who battled this. I went for years without drinking any alcohol. I now have the discipline to not rely on alcohol as a means of trying to help me forget, but I have a social drink every now and then. Is it hard? yes it is. I almost let alcohol ruin my life.

Response by SGT Suraj Dave made Nov 14 at 2014 4:50 PM

2014-11-14T16:50:43-05:00

Well, when you give soldiers promotion points to go to ASAP (Army Substance Abuse), a lot of SPC (P) guys are not alcoholic's (though they do drink), and sign up for it for the points. Take that into account when you look at number's. Also remember, as stated below, Campus and Civilian PD's don't patrol nearly as hard as MP's do in my opinion. Lets also not forget the fact that a college student or civilian doesn't have to drive through a gate to get home. The gate is where most people get their DUI's.

With that being said, to me there is a difference between a civilian and an Army Alcoholic. Drinking is heavily ingrained within our Army culture, you can try and get rid of it, but you cant/wont. When I was a PFC, we got off work everyday and drank in front of the barracks. (We would get tipsy but no one gets blackout drunk on the weekdays because of PT formation),We did it everyday. On the weekends we drank to throwing up/blackout level's. Wasnt just my building/ my unit. I drove down to the curahees (they got disbanded) and strike to visit friends in those units, and the strike and curahee guys are always doing the same thing we are.

If the soldier isn't beating beating up his wife, isn't showing up to work drunk, isn't getting DUI's, etc... if it isn't interfering with their performance or behavior, and isnt giving us reasons for concern, its not our problem. (i.e. I wouldn't be concerned about what was going on in my soldiers lives if I heard they were going out every weekend, I wouldn't be concerned... He is going out drinking with his battle buddies at a bar, he is going to socialize and meet girls. He sounds like a very normal 21 year old to me. (Ofcourse as long as there is Plan for DD/Taxi)

Now, if I have a soldier who is showing red flags (No longer hanging out with his normal friends in our company, isolating him/herself, etc...) then you should start digging.

The Army defines binge drinking as 5 for males, 4 for females. I hate to break it to you leader's, but if you had COB today (because its Friday), I promise you many of your privates have consumed 5 beer's already. Thats how much we used to drink on a weekday.

(I no longer drink to that intensity, I am older now)

Response by SSG John Erny made Nov 14 at 2014 5:28 PM

2014-11-14T17:28:58-05:00

Self Medicating is a problem for a lot of us.

Response by SN Jennifer M. made Nov 14 at 2014 6:51 PM

2014-11-14T18:51:14-05:00

I personally think there should be a huge study between alcoholism between service members vs. service members. They need some numbers to be based off. Why do SMs drink? Lets do some digging. Stress of the job is a HUGE one. Stress with what is going on within the family (regardless if the SM is married or not... could be something going on with parents). Stress... stress.... stress. Even now as a military spouse ... even being the spouse is stressful. Of course I don't really let me my husband know that I am stressed because I don't want overload him with my stress. Deployments, extended TDYs, schools... blah blah blah is stressful. We've been in Germany for 6 months and my husband has gone TDY 6 times! I can not tell you how many times in the last year or so how much he wants to get out.

My husband drinks a (few) beer(s) practically every night. Me? I am not a drinker. I will drink.. rarely. I think about the kids. Who is going to make sure they are good that night and the next day. Though I must say I was pretty wasted at the Bad Durkheim Wine Festival. LOL Definitely helped melt away the stress.

There ya go... SMs turn to alcohol to melt the stress away. Though there are other ways they could do that too... but most don't know where to go or what to do to "melt" it.
Sorry my sociology background is coming into play.

Response by SN Jennifer M. made Nov 14 at 2014 6:57 PM

2014-11-14T18:57:26-05:00

Also with alcohol... from what I heard is that other countries allowed alcohol while the US didn't So SMs are going without for so long that they long for it and go crazy when they come back. Not only that... stress from the deployment, things that happened during (if any.... i.e. PTSD) and so forth can have factors into alcoholism. Oh my I might be on this topic for awhile. LOL

Response by SPC Charles Estes made Nov 15 at 2014 2:08 AM

2014-11-15T02:08:15-05:00

Drank a fair amount while stationed at Camp Casey in Korea, even went on ONE thunder run that ended with me bringing my roommate back through the gate in a fireman's carry.

I was led to believe that a lot of our boys came home alcoholics from there. I didn't have a problem stopping though, didn't drink at all for a year afterwards. New Years rolled around, poured myself a rum and coke, it didn't taste good to me, so I poured it out. Since then I've averaged about 1 drink every two years, usually a very cold Mike's Hard Lemonade on a really hot day, but the company has to be special, and I never have more than 2 in a year.

Response by 1SG Nick Baker made Nov 15 at 2014 10:13 AM

2014-11-15T10:13:27-05:00

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Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 15 at 2014 5:32 PM

2014-11-15T17:32:53-05:00

Make people work horrible hours in the worst conditions possible away from their families with no parts or tools and then when they go home and are stressed and drink a little "there is a problem" the cause is evident and I never understood why no one could see it. If you want people to do horrible things or make sacrifices then there are consequences. I don't condone a DUI or alcoholism but I can easily understand why alcohol has a higher use in the military sector.

Response by Sgt Daniel V. made Nov 15 at 2014 6:23 PM

2014-11-15T18:23:53-05:00

I have dealt with Drinking on a serious level. It nearly consumed my entire offtime and money for about a year and a half after I came back from Iraq in 2005. As concern for myself and troops during my tenure as an a NCO grew, stemming from our battalions drinking related incidents including a few unfortunate fatal accidents I took a real hard look at why is that troops were getting in trouble. So I started inviting my peers to drink at my house on base. I provided a DD and a safe environment and more than just alcohol for them to drink and drinking became less the issue as Madden and football games and even Beer pong became the reason to hang out. I also started taking my young E-3s and below on outings with my fellow NCOs to do non drinking activities. I would take them bowling, movie trips, beach cook outs and really giving them a sense of belonging and curing loneliness boredom and encouraging a stronger bond in our team. I even took advantage of the my Senior Lances roles in their peer groups and would pay for cookouts that they held at the barracks without me or NCOs. It takes giving a damn at the NCO level. We are right there where the rubber meets the road.

In the bigger picture Officers and SNCOs can take the Corpsmens lead and be as graphic and explicit when dealing with serious issues. Corpsmen showed us pics that haunt me til this day and made me more protective in my "love life". Giving a stat and wagging the proverbial finger is one thing but showing graphic pictures of the consequences and having former servicemembers willing to share their story could have a bigger impact than we may at first believe.

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 15 at 2014 9:15 PM

2014-11-15T21:15:41-05:00

Alcoholism is a problem. But I think binge drinking is more prevalent. I've written about this in a post titled Alcohol Abuse: Changing Attitudes to Change the World, which you can Google if interested. Commanders must have the courage to tell the people in their command that drinking to get drunk (i.e. alcohol abuse) is not acceptable. But first, they must actually believe it themselves. That means setting the example and laying down the gauntlet, regardless of past personal behavior. For some, guidance to "drink responsibly" is not clear enough. Let there be no confusion. Drinking to get drunk (abusing alcohol) is wrong. Until commanders acknowledge this and spell lit out in black and white, their men and women will continue riding the line in a world of grey.

Response by PO3 Sherry Thornburg made Nov 15 at 2014 10:34 PM

2014-11-15T22:34:37-05:00

My problem with this conversation is that some aren't admitting that this is a cause and effect situation. The cause is high stress. The effect is acting out. Whether that means alcohol, drugs, fighting, screaming and crying . . . whatever; it's about how people are wired to deal with out of control stress levels. I'll talk only about Afgan and Iraq soldiers as they were specifically mentioned in this graphic.

1. As soldiers were and are not allowed to drink in Iraq or Afghanistan, you are taking away one type of stress control, until they get back to the states and start making up for lost time.
2. Some people turn to each other for comfort in high stress. Fraternization is of course not allowed and the numbers being something like only 10 - 20% women on most bases, (in and out of uniform) chances are you weren't going to have a girl or boy friend to lean on.
3. Some people take comfort in pets. Don't get me started about the totally inhumane attitude the military has on that one. Rounding up pets and local strays to be killed regardless of the effect on your personnel is outside of cruel.
4. From what I heard the only stress relief approved by commands in combat areas was exercise. That may tire everyone out, but it can be another type of stress on top of combat stress for people that don't think running and throwing weights around is just the greatest things to do.

The job is very tough. The stress those in combat areas have to deal with is ungodly. To expect them to come home and just make nice again and have no stress issues to act out is foolish.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 15 at 2014 10:59 PM

2014-11-15T22:59:14-05:00

All I learned from this infographic is that 1 in 8 troops are dumb enough to tell the truth at their yearly PHA.

Response by PO2 Corey Ferretti made Nov 22 at 2014 9:48 PM

2014-11-22T21:48:08-05:00

I don't know what else you the military can do. Proactive leadership and a service member willingness to seek help. They do safety briefs, don't allow just alcohol at command functions if at all, what else can you expect? you can't make a base dry you do that they will leave the base and you will more then lik. I am just happy i had great leadership who could knock some sense into me i owe my sobriety to my LT and my command DAPA they could of easily said you have not been in trouble and we have not heard anything so you don't need to go. But instead they said we agree with recommendation and you are going. And in the end you cant help someone who is not ready for help.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2014 11:44 PM

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I have served in two different branch's of the military and I think it boils down to three things.

1. Leadership tends to preach don't drink then you hear about the big drinking party they had or see the pictures on FB. Ever been to a Holiday or command party where all of people are not smashed?

2. All the branches make it easy and cheap to get access. Much cheaper to buy on base. Cheap means you can buy more right?

3. Hard liquor is bad! Beer is good! Case of beer is not as bad as a fifth of Vodka? Right?!?!

I don't disagree with the boredom and loneliness , but those can be cured by other things before the only desired option is drinking.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2015 10:45 AM

2015-01-28T10:45:28-05:00

alcohol can effect the person mentally physically and spiritually. if the alcohol has made the person powerless over alcohol and then we have a problem. all that want to quit alcohol can always find there local AA groups in the area to help each other out with there problem with alcohol. it is a very good program. leaders should research this program for themselves and the soldiers.

Response by SSG Leonard Johnson made Jan 30 at 2015 6:14 PM

2015-01-30T18:14:46-05:00

I hope not....I like my VFW. I sure would like to see a NCO Club on FT Carson.

Response by SPC Joe Boots made Jan 30 at 2015 6:38 PM

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as an in-recovery alcoholic ( almost 10 months alcohol free ) i will say that when i came home from iraq all the things i was dealing with my mind was much easier quelled with marijuana than alcohol.. but since 1 is illegal and 1 is celebrated what do you think i chose?? THE BOOZE CRUISE of course!! and her we are almost 10 years later and i cant believe i am still alive at times.. the VA needs to smarten up on policy here. i realize we have all been brainwashed for almost 80 years that cannabis is pure evil but c'mon folks. its 2015 .. you wanna see the number of domestic abuse go down on base? you wanna see the number of DUIs go down on base? you wanna see the number of alcohol related violence go down? then do your part to make cannabis an approved therapy for soldiers with a myriad of disorders caused directly by military service.. instead of shoving pills down our throats that make us zombies, add alcohol to them and it makes us killers too. #FreeTheLEAF

Response by SSG John M. made Jan 31 at 2015 12:25 PM

2015-01-31T12:25:53-05:00

Are you fucking kidding me. I became active duty in July of 1984 I was a PFC 13B10 25TH ID Schofield Bks... Light Infantry Division meant every unit had to do a 12 mile road march every 90 days to get us up to speed with The 7th ID Light they were first (by the way the 7th ID's patch was called the Crushed Beer Can) anyway when you completed the road march there were Trash Barrels filled with ICE COLD BEER paid for by unit funds. When I got promoted to E-5 they poured beer on my blood stripes they dismissed the lower enlisted then I had to march all of the NCOs to the NCO Club and I had to buy the first round. this was the same NCO club were we the Battalion NCOs would have NCOPD for about 10 min then the CSM would speak then the booze flowed and the Dancers would come....This was on base.

For the first 10 years I was in Alcohol was part of every function on base.

Go to Korea in the 80s that's all there is to do is DRINK and you walked everywhere so you did not think about it also booze was a lot cheaper in the class 6 and US Military sanctioned
9 bucks for a case of long neck beers are you kidding we didn't buy a six pack we bought cases of beer each and finished that night....

When I was FT Bragg one of the shopettes was open 24 hrs you could get beer any time you wanted it was boasted that shoppette sold the most beer as a store that size than any other store that size in the COUNTRY...on FT Hood and FT Bragg the BEER delivery trucks were camo

So I guess I am from a different Army or as my Brother's in the Corps say...OLD BREED!

AATW

Response by SGT Jim Z. made Feb 3 at 2015 6:02 PM

2015-02-03T18:02:30-05:00

While I was in I had bouts with the beer bottle sometimes I won other times it won. I will say that when my stress level increased so did my beer consumption. There was a time that my wife would look at the trashcan before asking how my day was. Did it affect me as a person, did affect my career not too much.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Feb 3 at 2015 7:58 PM

2015-02-03T19:58:25-05:00

Alcohol (or in a broader look all substance abuse) has always been a problem in the military. I used to ask my sailors who got in trouble re booze: "Do you have an alcohol problem?" They would always answer "no sir." My response? "If alcohol causes you problems you have an alcohol problem". Denial is not a river in Egypt.

I suspect the problem is even worse now, though. After almost 15 years of combat operations PTSD is rampant among A/D and vets. The military are not able to acknowledge or properly respond to PTSD for myriad reasons. The result is lots of troops who are hurting.

I have seen estimates that 25% of current soldiers or vets from the current wars have PTSD. From what I've seen, I'd say it's closer to 75%, but that's a WAG, not a scientific survey.

Nonetheless, the point is that far too many troops and vets are hurting, and not getting help - so what do they do? They self-medicate. This then leads to further problems because they get busted for DUI, under-age drinking, positive Urinalysis, etc., both on base and in town.

Thankfully, some wise civic leaders have established Veterans' Courts. If a vet with PTSD gets in trouble and goes to the Veterans' Court they are given a chance - participate in two years of intensive inpatient and outpatient treatment and keep your nose clean. If you do, at the end, the conviction is expunged.

The last thing a vet with PTSD needs is to go to prison. They certainly won't get their PTSD treated there, and when they get out, they have yet another major handicap.

Until DOD starts actively acknowledging and treating PTSD for A/D troops and setting them up for better outcomes on ETS, the problem will continue to fester. Sadly, DOD never will do, because to admit there is a problem would destroy readiness - imagine what would happen if all of the sudden 75% of the troops were no longer deployable?!?!