Drug and Substance Abuse in the United States Army

QUESTION

White paper instructions

Department of Force Management

This lesson will provide a forum for students to present contemporary issues in force management using DOTMLPF-P, FIFA, JCIDS, CONOPS, etc. and to engage in professional and informative discussions with their peers contributing to the overall body of knowledge and also to enhance learning within the small group. The student will accomplish this by selecting a topic within the Army (capability or organizational) to research and analyze possible issues relative to the topic in the current environment. The student will then write a military white paper and present findings and recommendations to the class. The white paper requires the ability to apply concepts gained from the F100 series, apply critical and creative thinking, conduct research, analyze, and incorporate personal experiences to the topic.

Action:  Analyze a force management topic and produce a white paper.

Standard:  Analysis includes-

1. Selecting a problem or issue;
2. Collecting and researching information;
3. Constructing a clear and concise white paper on an approved topic that will possibly be used as a staff study.

(INSERT TITLE HERE)

The intent of this paper is to…

Historical Context

• Provide sufficient information/discussion to assist leader in making a decision based on facts.
• Show evidence of research and expertise on subject

Problem Defined

• Do not pose a problem without a viable solution
• What is the ‘so what’

Suggested Solution

• Well thought out analysis and supporting data/evidence as well as cost and resources consideration and Total Army Analysis

ANSWER

Drug and Substance Abuse in the United States Army

Summary

The intent of this paper is to explore drug and substance abuse as one of the problems facing the United States Army, focusing largely on the causes of the problem, its effect on the force, and to provide recommendations for dealing with or managing the problem. Even though there is a zero-tolerance policy on drug and substance abuse in the U.S military regulations, several investigations and probes have shown that drug and substance abuse is one of the most widespread practices in the U.S military. Research has shown that approximately 2.3 percent of the total number of military personnel engage in drug and substance abuse (NIDA, 2013), with a majority of these people being aged between 18 years and years of age. According to NIDA (2013), the culture and the high levels of stress that military personnel experience in war are some of the reasons why drug and substance abuse is high amongst military personnel.

The research also showed that the military personnel who were deployed severally and who had a long experience in combat exposure had a higher likelihood of engaging in drug and substance abuse, compared to those with little combat exposure experience. The abuse of various illicit and illegal drugs by military personnel is also as a result of continued smoking and alcohol consumption. Drug and substance abuse generally affect the United States Army negatively. Drug and substance abuse results in the involvement of army personnel in harmful activities. For instance, some soldiers may end up driving while intoxicated. Drug and substance abuse also result in an increased rate of suicide in the military. For these reasons, it can be generally said that army personnel who involve themselves in drug and substance abuse, especially during wartime, have a tendency to engage in harmful and dangerous activities, putting themselves and their colleagues in danger.

In order to deal with the drug and substance abuse problem in the United States Army, the cause of the problem should be eliminated or controlled. For instance, the management of the United States Army may provide effective counseling and treatment services to personnel during and after a war to deal with the high stress levels and difficulty that army personnel face during war. Another way is to strengthen the zero-tolerance to drug and substance abuse policy to ensure that army soldiers personnel do not engage in the behavior. The United States army also needs to implement policies limiting the period of opioid pain reliever subscriptions to discourage substance abuse.

Historical Context

The United States Army is part of the United States military forces, which is also composed of the Navy, the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. As the commander-in-chief of the U.S Armed Forces, the president of the United States works together with the United States Department of Defense, the U.S Department of Homeland Security, and the federal executive departments in the development of military policies (Sirratt et al., 2012). As the largest section of the United States Armed Forces, the United States Army is responsible for all the military operations that are land-based or carried out on land. The military imposes a zero-tolerance policy for drug and substance abuse. Nevertheless, research has shown that there is widespread use of drugs and other substances in the United States military. According to NIDA (2013), approximately 2.3 percent of military personnel in the United States engage in the use of illicit and illegal drugs, a majority of these soldiers being aged between 18 and 25 years of age. The problem of drug and substance abuse is discussed in this paper, with the causes and solutions to the problem laid out.

Definition of Problem: Drug and Substance Abuse in the U.S. Army

Drug and substance abuse are issues that affect society at large. Therefore, the members of the United States Army are not immune to the problem, both the active members and the retired members. The culture of the military and the high level of stress that army personnel experience in the battlefield accounts for the differences between the military personnel and the civilian members’ usage of illicit and illegal drugs and substances (NIDA, 2013). One of the reasons for drug and substance abuse in the army include stigma and stress. It is difficult to identify substance and drug abuse-related problems among military personnel. Army soldiers are constantly exposed to considerable amounts of stress, which explains why they may want to engage in drug and substance abuse as an “escape”. It has also been noted that it is common for army personnel to engage in the abuse of alcohol, prescription drugs, and tobacco in the United States (IPRC, 2012).

According to IPRC (2012), army personnel who have been deployed in many battles and who have a long combat exposure experience are more likely to engage in drug and substance abuse. These individuals have a higher likelihood of engaging in new-onset excessive drinking of alcohol and new binge drinking, behaviors that result in drug and substance abuse-related problems such as smoking (IPRC, 2012). Combat-related injuries or injuries that are acquired in battle are also a cause of drug and substance abuse in the U.S Army. Members of the army who get injuries during mission deployment are likely to abuse prescription drugs to relieve pain (Bray & Hourani, 2007). Some army personnel also abuse prescription drugs with the aim of relieving strain on the body, which results from several deployments and long missions (Sirratt et al., 2012). Opioid pain medications are some of the most commonly used and abused prescription drugs by army personnel, with the aim of relieving body pain and strain.

According to Sirratt et al. (2012), approximately eleven percent of all the military personnel engage in the abuse of prescription drugs. In addition, binge drinking among military servicepersons has been on the increase over the last ten years. Excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking are also major causes of the abuse of other drugs and substances. Close to half of the total number of active duty military service people have participated in binge drinking at some point (NIDA, 2013). The rate of cigarette smoking among army personnel is high, especially among the army personnel with a lot of combat experience. Many army members smoke cigarettes and drink heavily, which often results in them using hard drugs. Drug abuse is, therefore, a key ethical issue in the United States military, and not just the army. Studies have also shown that several army soldiers engage in drug and substance abuse as a way of dealing with boredom and the stress that comes from being far from their families for long periods of time (Sirratt et al., 2012).

It can, therefore, be concluded that the main factors contributing to drug and substance abuse in the United States army are largely related to anxiety, loneliness, fatigue, strain, stress, and fear. Since servicemen and servicewomen in the army constantly face attack by enemy insurgents when deployed, they have to find ways of dealing with the stress on the battlefield. This leads to some of them engaging in drug and substance abuse as a way of calming their nerves and dealing with pain from injuries and body strain (Sirratt et al., 2012). Another reason why army soldiers engage in drug and substance abuse is the need for alertness. Military service requires soldiers to remain alert for long periods of time on the battlefield. Some army soldiers use stimulant drugs to keep them alert, especially during patrols and other night duties (Robins et al., 1974). Lengthy periods of inactivity and short periods of action also contribute to drug and substance abuse, as soldiers have a lot of idle time to engage in drug abuse (Sirratt et al., 2012).

The Effect of Drug and Substance Abuse in the U.S. Army

Drug and substance abuse affect the United States army in many ways. First, it results in an increased rate of suicides. According to IPRC (2012), the rate of suicide among the military soldiers was lower than that of civilians before the year 2000 but has steadily increased since then. Many of the suicides committed by army personnel result from drug and substance abuse. Approximately 29 percent of all the suicides committed by active duty army personnel from 2005 to 2009 were related to drug and alcohol use or the abuse of prescription drugs, as reported by the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force in a 2010 report (IPRC, 2012). Drug and substance abuse may result in army officers involving themselves in risky and harmful behavior such as using illicit drugs and drunk driving (Bray & Hourani, 2007). Research by the Army Substance Abuse Program showed that approximately 27 percent of army soldiers use alcohol after returning from mission deployment (Robins et al., 1974), and that alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in the U.S army (Sirratt et al., 2012).

Alcohol and drug abuse affect army units, family members of the soldiers, their friends, and their readiness for duty. The reasons that make drug and substance abuse a concern in the society are the same reasons that make the issue a concern in the army. Drugs and substances such as alcohol interfere with an individual’s processes and capabilities such as problem-solving, judgment, decision-making, learning, and memory. Drug and substance abuse also cause many health problems and result in reduced productivity and effectiveness on the battlefield (NIDA, 2013). Soldiers who involve themselves in drug and substance abuse when on a mission experience several problems, putting themselves in danger (Bray & Hourani, 2007). Some substances and drugs affect one’s alertness and reaction to danger. These could result in increased exposure to danger during a war, as some soldiers may react slowly when speed is of importance.

The use of drugs places army personnel at the risk of being injured and killed during a war and may contribute to them being separated from their teammates during troop movement. Soldiers who are under the influence of drugs may put their teammates in jeopardy, as military soldiers often depend on their colleagues during operations (Sirratt et al., 2012). When the judgment of a soldier is impaired by drug abuse, the soldier puts his or her comrades in jeopardy, risking their lives and negatively affecting the efficiency of the troop. Drug and substance abuse may also establish an environment that is disorderly during army operations. The army and all the other military branches of the U.S Armed Forces operate on the line of command and order. Drug abuse often affects the orderliness of army soldiers and their ability to obey commands, resulting in disorganization and conflicts. The functioning of the army is, therefore, negatively affected (Sirratt et al., 2012).

Drug and substance abuse may affect those who engage in the practice negatively. For instance, it may result in dishonorable discharge from service, as drug abuse is prohibited in the U.S. Army. The behavior of substance abuse is not tolerated in all ranks of service, in the U.S Army (NIDA, 2013). Even though several drug addict rehabilitation programs are provided to army officers on active duty, a dishonorable discharge is one of the most common responses to drug and substance abuse. Soldiers get dents in their records of service, which may affect their future military operations and civilian life. It may even be difficult to get a job in their civilian life after discharge from the army service.

Solutions to the Drug and Substance Abuse in the U.S. Army

The United States Army has a zero-tolerance policy for drug and substance abuse. Strengthening this policy is one way of dealing with the problem of drug and substance abuse. The zero-tolerance policy greatly minimizes the cases of drug and substance abuse in the army. With effective enforcement of the policy, the rate of drug and substance abuse will be lowered even further. Provision of effective counseling and treatment facilities to the army personnel is also a great way of dealing with the main causes of drug and substance abuse in the army. Such facilities and services will assist army soldiers affected by injuries, fatigue, stress, and other conditions that result from deployment and being away from their loved ones.

It is the duty of the U.S Department of Defense to ensure that army soldiers are availed with access to treatment and care. The department should ensure that soldiers are provided with adequate counseling and healthcare, to deal with the injuries, stress, and strain that the soldiers face on the battlefield. Army soldiers should also be provided with good insurance coverage to reduce their fear of injury. It is also important that the army develops policies aimed at reducing or limiting the time period that soldiers are under opioid pain reliever prescriptions, to reduce the chances of prescription drugs abuse. These policies would be effective in monitoring the medications or prescriptions given to soldiers, especially where there is a need for multiple treatments and drug use. This will ensure that army soldiers do not abuse prescription drugs that are prescribed to them for the relieve of pain, even after they are no longer in pain.

Expansion of the army soldiers’ access to care and the use of evidence-based treatment are also ways that can be used to control drug and substance abuse in the U.S Army. People in-charge of providing healthcare to army personnel need to be well-equipped to enable them to screen and monitor soldiers for drug and substance abuse related problems, and to direct them to counseling and rehabilitation when necessary. Evidence-based treatment should be administered where necessary. Access to alcohol needs to be limited for army personnel to ensure that soldiers do not engage in excessive drinking. In order for the problem of drug abuse to be effectively dealt with, there is also a need for military culture change to ensure that fear and stigmatization are not encouraged. This will help substance and drug abusers to seek help and not fear. The Army Substance Abuse Program should be adequately funded to improve its effectiveness in the fight against drug and substance abuse in the army.

Further research should seek to identify more cases of drug and substance abuse in the army and the various ways through which these causes can be eliminated. The Department of defense needs to provide the army with the appropriate funding and tools for effective counseling and treatment for substance abuse. Through these methods, drug and substance abuse within the U.S Army may be limited and effectively controlled.

Conclusion

Drug and substance abuse is one of the main ethical issues facing the United States Army today. Drug and substance abuse affect soldiers and the army in general, negatively, increasing risk and affecting the performance of army units. Soldiers who abuse drugs and substances such as alcohol perform poorly during operation and put the lives of their colleagues in danger. Army personnel fighting with drug and substance addiction should seek assistance from army rehabilitation centers to ensure that they do not suffer from adverse drug abuse effects. The zero-tolerance policy on drug and substance abuse should be strengthened to reduce the cases of drug and substance abuse. It is also important that soldiers are provided with adequate counseling and treatment services to help them deal with strain, stress, and other psychological effects of deployment.

References

Bray, R. M., & Hourani, L. L. (2007). Substance use trends among active duty military personnel: findings from the United States Department of Defense Health Related Behavior Surveys, 1980–2005. Addiction, 102(7), 1092-1101.

Indiana Prevention Resource Center (IPRC). (2012). Military and Behavioral Health Problems: Substance Abuse and Problem Gambling. Indiana University. Retrieved from http://drugs.indiana.edu/drug-info/featured-articles/200-military-and-behavioral-health-problems-substance-abuse-and-problem-gambling

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2013). Substance Abuse in the Military. National Institutes Of Health. Retrieved March 13, 2019, from https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/drugfacts_subabusemilitary.pdf

Robins, L. N., Davis, D. H., & Goodwin, D. W. (1974). Drug use by us army enlisted men in Vietnam: A follow-up on their return home. American Journal of Epidemiology, 99(4), 235-249.

Sirratt, D., Ozanian, A., & Traenkner, B. (2012). Epidemiology and Prevention of Substance Use Disorders in the Military. MILITARY MEDICINE, 21-28.