Substance Abuse Among Veterans: The Military and Alcohol Introduction The U.S. military produces some of the bravest most heroic men and women on earth. From the moment the oath of enlistment is made to the time of separation or retirement, these courageous souls endure a number of amazing, historic and sometimes unbelievable events. They are praise for their service and lift even higher for their sacrifice, although most are unaware of the true sacrifices are made by some of these men and women. The most visible sacrifices or “outer sacrifices” are loss of life or loss of limbs while the inner wounds are bouts with depression, sexual assault, divorce, and most common alcohol other drug abuse. U.S. veterans and alcohol seem to go hand in hand. Even if a military member was not a user of alcohol prior to service almost all become a user during and after service. Alcohol is used frequently in military culture. Whether it is a celebration, promotion, victory, loss, demotion, or defeat alcohol is used to commemorate the moment. The question is what is alcohol and why is it the go to choice for services members? Alcohol According to Oxford Dictionaries, alcohol is a colorless volatile flammable liquid that is produced by the natural fermentation of sugars and is the intoxicating constituent of wine, beer, spirits, and other drinks, and is also used as an industrial solvent and as fuel (Fowler, H. W., Fowler, F. G., & Murray, J. A. (1964). The concise Oxford dictionary f
Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one
Although substance abuse among the elderly, like alcohol is low considered compared to the general population, its prevalence is still high. A study showed the prevalence of alcohol related problems ranged from 1.4% to 22% (Adams, et al., 1993). It can be understood that the level of alcohol related problems diminishes as an individual ages.
Substance abuse among our veterans is much greater than our civilian populations. This is largely caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, associated from combat, and who have endured multiple deployments. In most cases, veterans who have turned to alcohol or drugs have a dual diagnosis. They not only have a problem with alcohol or drugs, but they also suffer from a mental or mood disorder that has a major impact on these issues. In most cases the mood disorder is post-traumatic disorder(PTSD), which results from being in combat. According to
Veterans and active duty military personnel face unique problems and special considerations when it comes to the abuse of alcohol. There is a drinking
There is a common belief that many combat veterans are suffering; many from invisible wounds that affect them in many ways. The challenge that the VA and other government agencies face is determining which veterans need help, there are several factors that affect this, from the individual’s desire to accept help, to the stigma that most veterans have accepted, which is “if they ask for help, they are weak.” During separation from the military it is a critical time for all soldiers, this time provides an opportunity for the military, the VA and our government to intercede and work with men and women while they are still soldiers. Veteran suicide is an epidemic, the number of veterans taking their life daily has been steadily growing, the statistic published by the VA is that twenty-two veterans end their lives every day (Suicide Data Report, 2012); steps have been taken to curb this number but the efforts have been woefully inadequate.
Greetings, I am Dexter Bolding I recently earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Prior to this, I spent nearly two decades in the United States Marine Corps. In the Marines I had an opportunity to manage at different levels, which included the managing of a thirty-three Marine Aircraft Firefighting Section, managing a five man Marine Corps Recruiting Office, culminating in me spending the last seven years directing the Marine Corps Substance Abuse Program as the Substance Abuse Control Officer and Insructor aboard the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
Alcohol is a drug that is classified as a central nervous system depressant. There are three forms of alcohol, beer, wine and distilled spirits. Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States and has more adverse effects that most other drugs combined. There are many aspects to consider when thinking about alcohol as a drug. There are many myths surrounding alcohol, including who uses it, what its effects are on users, social and sexual situations and the amounts people drink. The vast majority of the American population uses alcohol and in many various ways and this also causes different effects. Alcohol is also has a great causation in crimes committed by users, social, medical, and educational problems as a result
A service member’s emotional and psychological issues are not like malfunctions of a piece of equipment and must not be treated as a troubleshooting problem in a technical manual. And yet this seems to be the only way the military, as a whole, knows how to address the issue of a service members mental health. It requires a holistic approach that is not currently embraced by the military. Historically, the military has been ill-equipped to handle the shifting nature of the psychological issues created by introducing a service member to the battlefield.
In centuries, alcohol has been an important part of our society and culture. A lot of people often use alcohol to – help them to forget, feel brave, welcome / have a good time with a person, to belong and feel grown up, enlighten yourself, and/or perhaps they’re addicted to it and nothing to do without alcohol.
Alcohol is a drink that has been used differently around the world. Alcohol not only plays a role in religion in the present, it also plays a role in the past. Alcohol has been made with honey and juice for thousands of years. There was a type of alcohol that was made in early China around 7000 B.C. In India, there was alcohol called sura and this was used between 2000 and 3000 B.C. and this beverage was made from condensed rice. Alcohol could also be made from honey water and this was called mead. The alcohol made from berries and honey came from the Middle East. Alcohol was used for nutrition, medication, rituals, funerals, and for enjoyment. However, alcohol use can cause serious problems to occur. Continued alcohol use makes people feel the need to have more and more alcohol. Alcohol issues occur with college students, high school students, and adults. Alcohol use is addictive and can lead to dependency and abuse, especially when consumed by young people like college students and high school students.
Alcohol (beverages): beverages which contain ethanol substance, this substance cause a person become drunk (e.g. beer, whiskey). (W. Merriam Corporation, 2011)
According to google, Alcohol is a colourless volatile flammable liquid which is produced by the natural fermentation of sugars and is intoxicating constituent of wine, spirits, beer and other drinks, and is also used as an industrial solvent and as a fuel. However, from my view as a teen, Alcohol is a drug that is taken by people during a special occasion, for fun, and many other reasons. I think Alcohol should be banned because it has affected a lot of people in many ways. I have chosen this topic because of what I've seen around me, and how it is affecting the people around me.
Alcohol is defined as “a colorless liquid obtained by fermentation of sugars and starches” (The Leading Free Dictionary Site, 2016). The use of alcohol is described in the Bible “Wine is a mocker” and “strong drink is raging” Proverbs 20:1 (King James Version). Many frugal businesspersons have capitalized on the use of alcohol in their manufacturing processes and have used alcohol as a preservative in a wide range of household consumer products, and casual drinking is a way of life; or so it seems. Despite these widespread uses of alcohol, the abuse of alcohol as a drug, or as a means of avoiding reality can be harmful. Excessive consumption of alcohol adversely affects one’s physical health, mental health, and family life.
Alcohol, what is it and why is it used? Alcohol in the sense of drinkable beverages are, drinks that contain substantial amounts of ethanol (which is the intoxication agent found in alcoholic beverages). Ethanol is known to be a central nervous system depressant and has certain effects on the human body when consumed. Ethanol is also considered a psychoactive drug because of its ability to alter human interaction both physically and mentally. Ethanol plays a major role in Alcohol Consumption because of its altering abilities in the human body, but it is not only Ethanol that can do this. There are many subcategories of alcoholic components similar to Ethanol, such as Methanol alcohol and Butanol alcohol. With these components mixed in together to create the drinkable alcohol, we use the liquid to give bursts of the sensation that is euphoria. Euphoria is a state of mind in which the feelings of well being are persistent and create a more tolerable environment for the individual. Alcohol is used for recreational purposes but if taken in large quantities can have major negative effects on human health.
In chemistry, alcohol is an organic compound that has a lot of uses in it. There are many different types of alcohol such as methanol,