Some members of the U.S. military, like their civilian counterparts, abuse alcohol and drugs. That’s been known for years. The issue, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine, is that the abuse is growing and the Pentagon has been slow to adopt useful programs to screen, prevent and treat those problems.
Alcohol and drug abuse is relatively widespread among men and women in uniform. That’s not surprising given the stress of military service. About 20 percent of active-duty military personnel reported heavy drinking in 2008, the latest year for which data is available. Reports of binge drinking increased to 47 percent in 2008 from 35 percent a decade earlier.
The report indicates that the rates of illicit and prescription drug abuse remain fairly low, but are noteworthy. The rate of medication abuse — particularly of sometimes addictive opioid painkillers — rose from 2 percent in 2002 to 11 percent in 2008. That rate of increase, officials say, is faster in the military than among civilians.
The report added that abuse of prescription drugs among active duty personnel is probably more common than the use of illegal drugs like marijuana and cocaine. Such information about substance abuse within the military is useful, but only if it is accompanied by plausible remedies to the problem.
The panel that crafted the report provided such direction. It is sound advice.