The growing issue of substance abuse in the army - Research Paper Example

Outline of Research Paper First Middle initial and of Prof. First and of lecturer November 5, 2011 Outline: The Growing Issue of Substance Abuse in the Army I. Introduction A. Substance abuse among soldiers in the U.S. army has become a growing concern. 1. Although there has been an overall decrease in the use of tobacco and illicit drugs among army personnel, there has been considerable increase in prescription drug abuse and heavy alcohol use (National Institute of Health, 2011). 2. Prescription drug abuse among U.S. military personnel doubled from 2002 to 2005 and almost tripled between 2005 and 2008 (National Institute of Health, 2011). 3. 27% of the U.S. army soldiers, who returned from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan within the last 3 to 4 months, met the criteria for alcohol abuse (National Institute of Health, 2011). B. Thesis Statement: The current ‘soft attitude’ of the U.S. Army has to change and more stringent and aggressive policies have to be implemented in order to address the increasing rates of substance abuse among army personnel. II. Substance abuse has been found to be associated with mental health problems. A. Soldiers dealing with the issue of substance abuse are at increased risk of suicide. 1. The suicide rates among active duty soldiers, Army Reserve and Army National Guards increased from 67 in 2004 to close to 140 in 2008 (Kuehn, 2009). 2. 45% of the army personnel who attempted to commit suicide between 2005 and 2009 were found to have mental health concerns (National Institute of Health, 2011). 3. There were 142 cases of suspected suicides among army personnel in 2008 (More, 2009). In January 2009, the number of soldiers who committed suicide was more than the number of soldiers killed in combat (More, 2009). B. Soldiers dealing with the issue of substance abuse also usually have mental health challenges. 1. Some of the common mental health issues associated with substance abuse include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, manic depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder and antisocial personality disorder (Friedman et al., 1994). Some of these mental health issues also have a tendency to increase the dependency on drugs. 2. Long and demanding training, being away from family, stressful and uncomfortable conditions of living, lack of adequate sleep, deployment after shorter periods and the long war may be responsible for frustration among army soldiers (More, 2009). C. Dependency on drugs and its association with mental health issues affects the person’s overall health and performance. 1. The dependency on drugs and the co-occurring mental health challenges affects an individual’s ability to perform his duties. Therefore, early detection and treatment is essential. 2. Considering one’s employment with the U.S. army, the risk to self and fellow workers can be substantial. III. Substance abuse has been found to put soldiers at increased risk for harmful behaviors. A. Pressures at work have a strong influence on the initiation of substance abuse. 1. Reserve and National Guard personnel and young service members have been found to be at increased risk of new-onset of heavy weekly drinking, binge drinking and other alcohol related problems (Jacobson et al., 2008). 2. There has been a definite increase in smoking initiation and relapse among army personnel who were deployed (National Institute of Health, 2011). B. High rate of substance abuse, especially alcohol use, is associated with increased risk of related harmful behaviors like drinking and driving and using illicit drugs. C. Dependency on alcohol and the increased risk of harmful behaviors affects the person’s overall health and performance. 1. Dependency on alcohol affects the individual’s ability to perform his duties. Therefore, early detection and treatment is essential. 2. Considering one’s employment with the U.S. army, the risk to self and fellow workers can be substantial. IV. The U.S. army has had an apparent ‘soft attitude’ towards army personnel who have been identified as substance abusers. A. Little or no action has been taken to address the issue of substance abuse among soldiers. 1. According to the Army vice chief of staff, General Peter Chiarelli, many soldiers have tested positive for substance abuse without any disciplinary action taken against them (More, 2009). 2. Even though many of these soldiers have tested positive for substance abuse on numerous occasions, they have not been referred to the Army Substance Abuse Program to get help (More, 2009). B. The U.S. Army has been selfish in dealing with this matter. 1. According to General Peter Chiarelli, no action has been taken against these soldiers in order to keep as many combat troops in active duty as possible (More, 2009). 2. The increasing rate of relapse and initiation of substance abuse in high pressure work environment makes this situation more complex (National Institute of Health, 2011). 3. When this information was made public, there was a general perception among the people across America that the U.S. army finds it more important to keep a soldier in active duty than to provide them with the much needed help to address the issue of substance abuse. C. The challenges that this issue brings with respect to the work environment and the individuals’ personal health underscores the need to control and reduce the rate of substance abuse among the U.S. military personnel. V. Substance abuse among army personnel can be resolved using various social controls. A. Social controls can be implemented before, during and after deployment. 1. A holistic approach towards health and wellness, involving regular education, prevention and training programs, should be provided to all army personnel. 2. Organizational policies regarding regular screening of all army personnel for substance abuse should be strictly implemented. 3. Soldiers identified with suicidal tendencies should be carefully monitored and provided education on coping skills to deal with their feelings. 4. The U.S. military should invest in additional medical personnel in the field who can provide screening, prevention and treatment services to the soldiers. B. Researchers are currently testing the use of smart phones and wearable wireless sensors to record real time responses to stress among veterans suffering from addiction and trauma, which has revealed some promising results. If proved effective, the federal government should provide additional funding to use this technology on a larger scale. C. There are various social controls that can be used to make the policies and procedures concerning substance abuse in the army more stringent. VI. Implementation of these recommendations can lead to potential social and economic benefits. A. The military personnel dealing with the issue of substance abuse and related mental health issues will be quickly identified and referred for treatment to the Army Substance Abuse Program. This will ensure that the soldiers would receive the much needed care and treatment to overcome their addiction and mental health issues. B. Investing in prevention and early detection strategies will greatly reduce the cost of treatment and rehabilitation program. The army would benefit significantly by not loosing active duty soldiers due to death (suicide) or discharge from service (due to mental health or addiction related challenges). C. Implementing such rigorous strategies to address the issue of substance abuse among army personnel will boost the morale of the troops as they realize that their health is of primary concern to the army. VII. Conclusion A. The U.S. Army needs to revamp its current policies and procedures and take a more active stance pertaining to substance abuse among military soldiers. B. Since substance abuse is of growing concern and has associated risk factors of suicide and high risk behaviors like drinking and driving, strategies involving early detection through screening and rigorous treatment procedures are important. C. Such policies and protocols will benefit the soldiers by getting the required help at the earliest and the army by reducing the health care cost and risk of loosing active duty soldiers. Reference Friedman, M.J., Schnurr, P.P., & AcDonagh-Coyle, A. (1994). Post-traumatic stress disorder in the military veteran. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 17(2), 265-277. Jacobson, I.G., Ryan, M. A. K., Hooper, T.I., Smith, T.C., Amoroso, P.J., Boyko, E.J., Gackstetter, G.D., Wells, T.S., & Bell, N. S. (2008). Alcohol use and alcohol related problems before and after military combat deployment. Journal of American Medical Association, 300(6), 663-675. Kuehn, B. M. (2009). Soldier suicide rates continue to rise. Journal of American Medical Association, 301(11), 1111-1113. Moore, J. (2009). Army facing substance abuse problems. Treatment Solutions Network. Retrieved from http://www.treatmentsolutionsnetwork.com/blog/index.php/ 2009/05/26/army-facing-substance-abuse-problems/ National Institute of Health. (2011). Substance Abuse and the military, veterans and their families. National Institute of Drug Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.nida.nih.gov/ tib/vet.html Read More