Drinking alcohol has historically been an accepted vice in the military. For soldiers away at war, it gives momentary reprieve from the stresses of life while enlisted. Days and nights can be spent on the front lines and these men and women see and experience unbelievable atrocities. Violence, injuries and death are part of life and the small amount of time they have to relax is often accompanied with drinking for relaxation and escape purposes.
With the ongoing war overseas, members of Congress requested a review on the state of the rate of drug and alcohol addiction among those in the service. On September 17, the Institute of Medicine released a report stating that it has become a “public health crisis” and that current government methods of dealing with it need to be updated. The study showed about 20 percent of active duty military reported having engaged in heavy drinking in 2008, the latest year for which data are available, and binge drinking increased from 35 percent in 1998 to 47 percent in 2008. The rate of prescription drug abuse has risen from 2 percent in 2002, to 11 percent upon publication of this new report.
The report pointed out that more updated and better strategies need to be implemented to care for the growing number of military families affected. It addresses the problems with staffing shortages, inadequate prevention tools, and lack of sufficient health insurance. New and improved alcohol and drug awareness methods need to be instituted. It suggests that better trained counselors and more outpatient care is crucial to overcoming this negative rate of increase. While this might take the military awhile to get up and running, an immediate solution is for these service men and families to take online alcohol and drug awareness classes now.
Alcohol and drug education courses are easily accessible from any Internet based computer. High quality 8 hour alcohol and drug classes offer information on the differences between use and abuse, how different drugs and alcohol interact, the short and long-term effects, and the risks and dangers of altered behavior. Most importantly, classes also cover how to improve coping and stress management skills. Active military personnel should take these courses to learn healthy tools and techniques for dealing with the high-conflict situations they are engaged in every day.
There is no need to go anywhere to attend the class, as they are immediately accessible at the click of a button from any Internet based computer. They can be taken any time of the day or night and a licensed, practicing therapist can be contacted during the workweek with any questions or support needs. Online classes contain all the most current information that would be discussed in a traditional classroom.
Implementing an educational program to help military families spiraling into alcohol or drug abuse, is the best step towards revitalizing, improving and updating the government programs currently in place. Don’t wait for the government to get new programs going. Be proactive and take an online course today!