Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: Chasing the Energy Dragon - Tobacco & Caffeine Use in the Military, Part 2

In the first part of this blog, I discussed the historical use and current trends in use of tobacco in the military population. This time around we're going to examine another widely-used and socially-sanctioned substance, caffeine. If tobacco is the spark to the battle weary individual, it is surely coffee or caffeine that is gas that feeds the ever-elusive energy flame

CDP News: 1 November 2019

Welcome to this week’s edition of CDP News! We like to use this space to review recent happenings in and around the Center for Deployment Psychology, while also looking ahead to upcoming events. We hope everyone had a happy Halloween and is ready for November!

Research Update: 31 October 2019

The weekly Research Update contains the latest news, journal articles, useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include:

● Clinician’s Trauma Update Online (October 2019)
● Five-Year Impacts of Family Stressors and Combat Threat on the Mental Health of Afghanistan and Iraq War Veterans.
● An Empirical Crosswalk for the PTSD Checklist: Translating DSM-IV to DSM-5 Using a Veteran Sample.
● Depression Suppresses Treatment Response for Traumatic Loss–Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Active Duty Military Personnel.

Staff Perspective: Chasing the Energy Dragon - Tobacco & Caffeine Use in the Military, Part 1

Dr. Kimberly Copeland

When one thinks about substance use or addiction in the military, one’s mind may automatically go to alcohol. Although the prevalence of alcohol use and abuse can be considerable, we would be remiss to overlook the historical use and current trends in use of two other legally and socially sanctioned substances within our military population: tobacco and caffeine.

By the Numbers: 28 October 2019

18%

The percentage increase between 2017 and 2018 of soldiers testing positive for THC at "nine Army bases in or near marijuana-friendly states," according to a recent article in the military-focused online publication, Task & Purpose. "For comparison, there has been a 5% increase in soldiers testing positive for THC across the entire Army." THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is "the principal psychoactive component in cannabis."

Pages