alcohol.* 80 Another study† found that the
prevalence of risky alcohol use‡ was higher after
deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan compared to
pre-deployment.^81 A study of soldiers who were
interviewed three to four months after returning
from deployment to Iraq found that 25 percent
engaged in risky alcohol use.§ Soldiers who had
higher rates of exposure to threats of injury or
death were more likely to engage in risky
alcohol use.^82 A study of reserve/National
Guard and active duty personnel found that
reserve/National Guard personnel who were
deployed with combat exposure were 1.6 times
more likely than those deployed without combat
exposure to experience new-onset heavy weekly
drinking** (8.8 percent vs. 5.6 percent) and 1.5
times more likely to report new-onset binge
drinking†† (25.6 percent vs. 19.3 percent); active
duty personnel who were deployed to Iraq or
Afghanistan and reported combat exposure were
1.3 times more likely than those who were
deployed without combat exposure to report
new-onset binge drinking (26.6 percent vs. 22.0
percent).^83 A study of National Guard Brigade
Combat Team soldiers deployed to Iraq from
March 2006 to July 2007 found that 13 percent
- Based on scores on a version of the AUDIT
instrument (see Appendix H). Risky drinking was
defined as an AUDIT-C score of three or higher for
women and four or higher for men. Addiction was
defined as an AUDIT-C score of four or higher for
women and six or higher for men.
† Of four U.S. combat infantry units (three Army
units and one Marine Corps unit).
‡ Measured with a two-question instrument asking,
“In the last year, have you ever drunk or used more
drugs than you meant to?” and “Have you felt you
wanted or needed to cut down on your drinking or
drug use in the last year?”
§ Answering yes either to: “In the past four weeks,
have you felt you wanted or needed to cut down on
your drinking?” or “In the past four weeks, have you
used alcohol more than you meant to?”
** Men who consumed more than 14 drinks per week
and women who consumed more than seven drinks
per week.
†† Those who reported drinking five or more drinks
(for men) or four or more drinks (for women) on at
least one day of the week or those who reported
“drinking five or more alcoholic beverages” on at
least one day or occasion during the past year.
met criteria for addiction involving alcohol
when they returned from deployment.‡‡ 84The risky use of prescription drugs also is
common among active duty personnel. One
study found that in 2008, 9.9 percent of service
members misused prescription drugs§§ (14.5
percent of Army, 9.1 percent of Navy, 10.2
percent of Marine Corps, 7.5 percent of Air
Force and 8.0 percent of Coast Guard service
members),^85 a rate far higher than the 2.1 percent
who have misused controlled prescription drugs
in the general population.^86Soldiers exposed to combat who experience a
traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at particularly
high risk for the risky use of alcohol or other
drugs and for addiction. One study of service
members who were discharged from military
service found that those with mild TBI were 2.6
times more likely and those with moderate TBI
were 5.4 times more likely to be discharged for
addiction involving alcohol or for drug use
compared to the total discharge population.^87
Another study of service members with blast-
induced mild-to-moderate injuries between 2004
and 2007 found that more than six percent of
service members with a mild TBI had post-
deployment addiction involving alcohol.^88Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also is
prevalent in the military population and co-
occurs at high rates with addiction. One study
of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were first-
time users of VA health care, found that among
those who met criteria for addiction involving
alcohol and/or other drugs, 63 to 76 percent also
met diagnostic criteria for PTSD.^89‡‡ Sixty-two percent of these soldiers met criteria
prior to deployment while 38 percent had a new
onset--that is, they met criteria post-deployment.
§§ In the past 30 days, misused prescription-type
amphetamines/stimulants (including
methamphetamine), tranquilizers/muscle relaxers,
barbiturates/sedatives or opioids/pain relievers.