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I would like to use this particular post to discuss drug addiction (most notably opiates) within our armed forces and with the brave men and women who have served our country. Based on some research I did, I found this topic to be quite interesting but also alarming and disheartening. Based on what I have read, there appears to be the presence of drug addiction within the armed forces in both soldiers currently serving as well as those who once served our great nation. I thought this topic would be something fresh as I have mostly talked about the basics of opiate addiction, treatments, and it's effects on the mind and body. I would also like each and every one of us to take a brief moment to honor and thank those who have served our country, both in the present and past. I am (and I'm sure many others) are truly grateful and honored to have such brave and noble men and women serving and protecting our country.
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| A big thank you for all who have served our country. |
An addiction to opiates can reach anyone and like I said in my previous post, addiction rarely discriminates. Anyone from any where can become addicted to anything. This blog deals mostly with opiate addiction but also touches upon numerous other addictions as well. After all, at the end of the day, all addicts are addicted to something. I have no experience in the armed forces and have gotten most of knowledge of the topic through family and friends who served or from reading and school. One thing I do know is that these men and women are put under much stress during their time of duty. Many witness lives lost, devastating destruction, gruesome injuries, and so much more. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not uncommon for those who serve and is often a serious condition to have to endure. We recently discussed how mental illness, disorders, and disabilities can all play a role in leading to addiction and these illnesses, disorders, and disabilities are not uncommon in the military.
According to an Army inspector general's report made public in 2011, "medical officials estimate that 25% to 35% of about 10,000 ailing soldiers assigned to special wounded-care companies or battalions are addicted or dependent on drugs — particularly prescription narcotic pain relievers." This report also stated that "injured or wounded soldiers can wait more than a year for a medical discharge. They said most soldiers arrive in the units with narcotics provided by battlefield doctors or military hospitals. They also said a few soldiers under their care are buying narcotics out of pocket and may be mixing legal and illegal drugs." Most of the soldiers in this report were involved in the Warrior Transition Units, which are used to help soldiers who are wounded or experience any health issues to be seen by doctors to be evaluated and possibly medically discharge. The problem with these units is that it is apparently a long and painstaking process for these soldiers to be seen by the doctors resulting in many attempting to "self medicate" themselves.
A report issued by the Pentagon in 2008 also showed that "about one in four soldiers admit abusing prescription drugs, most of them pain relievers, in a one-year period." The report involved and surveyed more than 28,500 U.S. troops and showed that roughly 20% of marines had abused prescription drugs, mostly painkillers, during that same period of time. This really opened my eyes to this situation as I was totally unaware how prevalent the abuse of these drugs was in the military. It made me sad that these men and women who gave their lives for our freedom are suffering through such an awful thing. For those of us who have experienced addiction to opiates, we know how devastating these drugs can be on our lives. I wouldn't wish an addiction like this on my own worst enemy. I got the information from these reports after reading two articles from U.S. Today and wanted to include a few quotes from the article. The quotes are below this paragraph in blue front.
Painkiller abuse among troops has soared since 2005, the last time a similar study was conducted. The 2005 survey showed that 4% of soldiers had abused painkillers in the previous 30 days, compared with 13% in 2008. Abuse within the previous year was 10% in 2005 compared with 22% in 2008.
The 2008 survey asked more specific questions, such as
whether troops were engaged in any non-medical use of the drugs they were
prescribed.
Prescription drug abuse among the civilian population
dropped in 2008 compared with 2007, a federal report released in September
shows.
USA TODAY reported last year that narcotic pain-relief
prescriptions for injured or wounded U.S. troops jumped from 30,000 a month to
50,000 since the Iraq War began.
Other survey findings include:
•The percentage of troops showing signs of post-traumatic
stress disorder increased during the war years. In a 2005 survey, 7% of the
servicemembers described symptoms suggesting PTSD. That increased to 11% in the
2008 study.
The largest increases were within the Army and Marine
Corps, the two service branches doing most of the fighting in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The rate of soldiers who described problems suggestive of PTSD
increased from 9% in 2005 to 13% in 2008, and from 8% to 15% among Marines, the
survey results show.
•Nearly 60% of Marines admit engaging in binge drinking.
The rate of heavy alcohol use — defined as five or more drinks per occasion once
a week — among all servicemembers ages 18 to 35 remained higher than in the
civilian population.
•Servicemembers admitting that they had thoughts of suicide
during the year prior to being surveyed doubled from 1% in 2005 to 2% in 2008.
Wow. That's basically how I felt after reading this article as it really struck me to how much of a problem this has become. I was well aware that prescription drug abuse was on the rise and becoming a real problem in cities across the country, but I honestly didn't know how it had reached the military. I feel nothing but sympathy for anyone who suffers from addiction, especially these men and women serving our nation. My guess and opinion is that most of these men and women suffer from some form of mental illness, disorders, disabilities, and stress as a result of their time in the military. I have a friend who is currently serving in the army and while he has not had any trouble with drug addiction, he has mentioned to me how stressful the job can be. He also told me how he now has trouble sleeping and that he sometimes feels "out of place" among his peers. He told me that it would be hard to understand if you had never served in the military, but I somehow felt like I at least understood where he was coming from.
After reading an article from the website AlterNet, I learned even more. The article presented an interview of a former marine who was now an alcoholic. This man stated that he drank so "I don't go to shit,” and that he "drink(s) because I have to." I found this quote really sad and it really hit me how much our soldiers go through. The same article also revealed that "between 24% and 38% of service-members between the ages of 18 and 25 (depending on their branch) qualified as “heavy drinkers” in a 2006 study, compared to 15% of the civilian population." Some other information I got from this article showed the following, once again in blue front.
"A total of 11,200 active-duty soldiers were busted for using illicit drugs in 2011, up from 9,400 in 2010. And 17% of active-duty personnel admitted to “misusing” prescription drugs—primarily opiate painkillers—in a 2008 survey by the Department of Defense. By comparison, a 2010 survey of civilians found that 6% reported “nonmedical use” of prescription meds.
Among veterans who’ve sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the years following their military service, between 50% and 80% also suffer from addiction.
This link between addiction and mental health is precisely what makes the situation of today’s soldiers so dire. More men and women who have seen combat in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are suffering from brain-based damage—primarily, PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI)—that frequently precipitates addiction. And, crucially, these soldiers have received grossly inadequate care from the military’s medical system.
They’re also suffering from devastating rates of PTSD, often described as “the invisible wound” of this generation’s wars. The condition, estimated to afflict at least 25% of returning service-members who saw combat, is characterized by a bevy of symptoms, including rage, insomnia and anxiety—that can often be soothed with alcohol or drugs.
Myriad studies have long found a distinct connection between PTSD and substance abuse. A comprehensive 2006 analysis by Veterans Affairs sums them up: An estimated 52% of those afflicted with PTSD will be diagnosed with alcohol abuse or dependence, and 34.5% with dependence on drugs. According to the report, PTSD doubles one's odds of an alcohol-use disorder, and a drug-use disorder triples the risk.
Thanks to technological breakthroughs in better body armor and battlefield medicine, more soldiers are also coming home alive: With injury survival rates that exceed 90%, more members of our military than ever before are living with brain damage, physical disability or chronic discomfort caused by injuries that, in previous wars, would have killed them
Since 2001, the military has confirmed traumatic brain injury—the precursor to CTE—in more than 220,000 of the 2.3 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, although many experts say that the actual number is much higher.
With adequate preventative measures, those factors—repeat deployments, grueling physical and mental health problems—might never have resulted in what is looking more and more like an epidemic of PTSD and TBI, as well as a substance abuse crisis, among veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
But the military and Veterans Affairs are both overwhelmed, short-staffed and cash-strapped, after so many years combat. As a result, soldiers are falling through the cracks of a healthcare system stretched far too thin."
I know that I'm giving you guys a lot to read and digest, but I think these two articles really get my point across. These brave men and women need us more than ever and are deserving of much more. Like many other areas of addiction, there is a lot of gray and the issue is quite complicated. One thing is certain through, and that is these soldiers are in need of better attention, aid, and concentration. Think about how often we hear of a soldier having a total mental breakdown and causing harm to themselves or others. Could this be because of the lack of aid available to them and the conditions they are forced to endure? In my opinion, I think absolutely. I'm not a doctor and unfortunately I'm not in a position where I can do a hell of a lot. One thing I can do (and many others as well) is to raise awareness and provide whatever sort of help I can to these people. Just like how someone brought up in a poor, abusive home with drug use or drinking around them is vulnerable to become addicts themselves, these men and women are put in an eerily similar position.
I want to make clear that I am in no way, shape, or form trying to knock or criticize our soldiers. I simply want to raise awareness for what they are going through and how serious this matter is. These people did so much for us, it's the least I can do. I also want to make clear that not all soldiers suffer from illness, disorders, disabilities, and addiction. Some get it worse than others while others experience none of these scenarios. But in my opinion, too many do.
I want to leave the rest of this post for you guys to comment and discuss how you feel about this matter. Feel free to comment your opinions or any experiences/stories you have of the matter. I think this is one of the more depressing yet interesting posts we've had thus far. I have also listed below some links that will provide you guys with more information about this matter. The first two links below are the two articles I have mentioned in this post. The rest are just as interesting and are deserving of attention.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-01-26-soldieraddicts26_ST_N.htm
http://www.alternet.org/story/155635/soldiers_are_coming_home_injured_and_addicted_--_will_we_pay_our_debt_to_our_vets?page=0%2C0
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/topics-in-brief/substance-abuse-among-military-veterans-their-families
http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/addiction-in-the-ranks-soldiers-and/
I want to end this post by once again thanking all those, past, present, and future, who serve and protect this great country of ours. Despite this article being somewhat depressing, I am still extremely proud and grateful to be part of the same nation as these courageous men and women. We are truly blessed to have you guys. Once again, thank you for your service, it will not go unforgotten or overlooked. Please feel free to comment on this post or any others of this blog, your comments are very valuable to me and I will always answer you guys back. Take care my friends and see the light, it's there for everyone.
Sincerely,
Seeingthelight
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