Rehab centers 'could be needed to curb military drinking'

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by Change | 13 Feb 2009

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US military personnel taking part in binge drinking are endangering themselves and others, creating a need for rehab clinics, research suggests.

Active military personnel in the US often take part in alcohol abuse, with potential affects on their performance which could indicate a need for substance abuse treatment, a study reveals.

Research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows 43 per cent have taken part in this behavior at least once during the past month.

Two thirds of these are aged between 17 and 25 years and there are more than an estimated five million episodes a year for troops under the legal drinking age of 21.

Conducted by the University of Minnesota and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study found those engaging in alcohol abuse were six times more likely to admit job performance issues.

In addition, they were five times more likely to report that they had driven while intoxicated.

Mandy Stahre, first author and a doctoral candidate in alcohol epidemiology, claims binge drinking presents a serious public health problem which is dangerous to the individual and those around them.

In the UK, a group has been established to support Scottish veterans in receiving treatment for alcohol and drug addiction problems, potentially at rehab clinics, the BBC reports.

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