When we picture the United States Military we regard men and women in uniform fighting for our country. However, what we do not picture is the hidden problems. Stress of the job, members returning home from war, and combat create an increased stress level that can result in abusing substances and cause behavioral problems. The military has recognized that this has become a problem and is now taking steps to ensure their members safety.
There is little known about substance abuse facts in the military, because it can result in a discharge since it is a crime. (Returning Veterans with Addiction) Historically it is well known that alcohol and smoking were huge problems in the military. My grandfather who is a retired member of the Navy would tell me stories all the time of him smoking while working. This caused a serious addiction that was nearly impossible to break. Service members feel the need to take up alcohol and drinking as a way to cope with the intense stress of the job.
“Ultimately, diagnosis of a substance use disorder or PTSD relies on clinical assessment using DSM criteria. Screening instruments exist that can help uncover or point the way toward a potential diagnosis. For alcohol use disorders, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the AUDIT-Consumption (AUDIT-C) have been widely validated as self-report screening measures. A single-item screening measure was recently validated for drug use disorders consisting of the single question, “How many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for nonmedical reasons?” A response of 1 time or more yields a positive screen.” -Returning Veterans With Addictions. (2011, July 11). Psychiatric Times. Retrieved Februa...
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...e military has different chains of command, and each branch is called something different. I will have to implement the NASW Code of Ethics by understanding that my superior can have superior as well, and in times I will have to recognize and follow their ranking system. In the end however I do have a code to follow, and I have to adapt to following the ethics, and respecting their rules as well.
In conclusion, I feel that this is a marginalized group in society because we count on our military to protect us every day. We see them as heroes, not just a person who can sometimes need help. The military has recognized a problem and have come up with many ways to get help. As a social worker I want to further their help. No one should feel the need to advert to drinking, smoking, or abusing prescription or illegal drugs because they feel they have no other way.
Nearly 60 to 80 percent of Vietnam combat vets seeking treatment for PTSD, abused the use of drugs and/or alcohol. The study also revealed that more than 90 percent of those individuals, were diagnosed with alcohol dependency. With a recent interview with a helicopter pilot, Keane began to explain his experiences in Vietnam. Veteran Keane says that with the loss of a fellow soldier, they would drown the loss by drinking to make it appear like they weren’t bothered by it. Keane says. “The more that vets are exposed to war and develop psychological problems from war, such as PTSD, the more likely they are to develop alcoholism” (Danitz). The ability to cope with the physiological effects of PTSD is reduced severely when alcohol is
It’s estimated that 1.64 million US troops have been deployed to Iraq since 2001. And while most of the soldiers return to civilian live without incident, it’s estimated that one-third of these veterans will struggle with Post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression. Another aspect affecting our troops is alcoholism. Due to the unfathomable horrors witnessed by our veterans, many turn to alcohol to cope.
It was the late 19th century when a lot of conflict for families from the Industrial Revolution and illegal drugs had easy access to anyone in the United Sates. These illegal drugs like morphine, cocaine, and alcohol were available through manufacture, delivery, and selling. It was proved that the over use of alcohol and violence in families’ homes were linked together around the 1850’s and that women and children were being abused by the father and husband from the letters and journals that were wrote. These were times when women were stay at home mothers and it was the man’s responsibility to be the provider for the wife and children. Because of the abuse in the household it led up to the temperance movement. The purpose
In these days and times of continuous military and terrorist conflict, military soldiers should be required to participate in pre and post deployment health assessments. That brings me to the question, “Why is pre and post deployment health assessments needed?” The revelant of pre and post deployment health assessments will test our soldiers to see if they have any mental issues. Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult. Some are manageable, some are not. Many times, we can successfully deal with them on our own. In some instances, matters get worse and one problem can trigger other more serious issues. At such times, it is wise to check things out and see what is really happening. That introduces the purpose of these totally anonymous and voluntary mental health testing self-assessments. The testing questions are designed so you can review your situation with regard to some of the more common mental health issues including, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, alcohol problems and more. The screening will not provide a diagnosis – for that you need to see a professional. But, it will tell you whether or not you have symptoms that are consistent with a condition or concern that would benefit from further evaluation or treatment. It will also give you guidance as to where you might seek assistance. We are affected by this because we could lose our love ones if we don’t know what kind of mental issues they have.
Substance abuse inhibits mission accomplishment. Many jobs are hard enough when we are in the right frame of mind, it can only be imagined how difficult it may be when we are impaired by the use of substances. Unfortunately, this happens and when it does, risk is significantly increased and lives can be at stake. Being under the influence whether directly or indirectly as in hung over will impair judgment in decisions needing to be made,
Respect is probably the most important trait that needs to be shown towards your superiors. Every Armed forces branch in the United States of America has a chain of command in which respect is the main premise behind the entire organization. Respect backs the ideals and leadership within any chain of command. Respect is important in the design of the military system itself. You have to automatically trust and do what higher ranking cadet, or any cadre member says because they hold power and most likely have more experience then you. You must show them respect to because they have more knowledge and know how, not to mention they have earned the stop they are in. Respect also tires into the worrier’s ethos, which is an important aspect of what it means to be a member of the army.
A survey of OEF/OIF Veterans identified major rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol-related problems, social and family problems, and suicidal behavior. However the most alarming statistic is not about deployment rates or rates of diagnoses, the most alarming fact is that fewer than 10% of those diagnosed with PTSD or depression have received the recommended the mental health treatment upon re-integration into society. The dropout rate at the Veterans Association (VA) PTSD clinics is distressingly high as well when looking into VA records it was found that 68% of OEF/OIF Veterans dropped out of their prescribed counseling and programs prior to completion (Garcia et al., 2014). Because most of these men were deployed mul...
According to a veteran, anxiety and depression are often misdiagnosed as PTSD. Since the Vietnam War, the occurrence and diagnosis of PTSD has skyrocketed. After a sev-ere reduction in the rate of PTSD in veterans where poorly documented PTSD cases were culled from the collection, Bruce P. Dohr-enwend of Columbia found a 13% reduction in the lifetime rate of PTSD; in a continuation of Dohr-enwend’s work, McNally concluded that a majority of PTSD patients were fit to live in everyday life, re-ducing the lifetime rate of PTSD by another 7% (Dobbs 2). In addition, many veterans have been known to be over- or under-reporting their PTSD symptoms, making the accurate diagnosis even more trouble-some.
...They have studied members of 4 US combat infantry units 3 Army units and a Marine Corps unit using an anonymous survey that was administered to the subjects either before their deployment to Iraq or 3 to 4 months after their return from combat duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. The outcomes included major depression, generalized anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD, which were evaluated on the basis of standardized self-administered screening instruments. But studies showed that they people that where deployed to iraq was dealing with the mental weaknesses much more than troops deployed anywhere else.
The Navy didn't cause my alcohol abuse. I brought it with me. No Sailor initiated my alcohol abuse, no overbearing chief or leading petty officer, no long deployments or crazy working hours.
The purpose of this paper is to determine the level of substance abuse in the elderly community. There is concern that as the population ages in the United States, there will be a significant increase in the number of older adults being treated for substance abuse problems. This paper seeks to understand the issues and concerns that are consequently involved with substance abuse among the elderly.
When we view substance use disorders, alcohol is the most widely used drug within the United States and 11 percent of workers have drinking problems (Frone, 2006). Over 20 million people used illegal substances in 2006 and 7 million people abused prescribed medications. Of the 18 million drug abusers, 18 years or older in 2006, 13.4 million (74.9 %) were employed full or part time (SAMHSA, OSA). These addiction problems have an expenditure of $276 billion dollars per year with most of this cost from loss of productivity and health care (H. Harwood, D. Fountain, and G. Livermore, 1992).
The Federal surveys in America depict that there is a decline in the overall alcohol consumption amongst the members of a certain age group, whereas at the same time, the concentration of high numbers of alcohol abusers are associated with a certain age group. The total number of individuals aged below 65 who abuse alcoholic beverages in America has seen a drastic reduction in the last few years. However, the number of people between the age of 16 and 30 has been rising and has induced a significant short term and long-term effects especially on the health and productivity of the victims. The federal surveys indicate that there is an increased number of people who have been affected by the long-term effects associated with alcohol abuse the since 2009 (Yoshida, 2006).
First of all, the military does not pay much attention on the mental health of the soldiers. When the soldier came back from the war, most of the soldiers would not be relax and
would like to give you a small background of the impact of substance abuse on the