September 17, 2012: By the Numbers
20%
The percentage of active duty military personnel who report having engaged in heavy drinking, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) -- Substance Use Disorders in the U.S. Armed Forces. This is according to data from 2008, which IOM says is the latest available. The report also says binge drinking among active duty personnel increased from 35% in 1998 to 47% in 2008.
Although rates of illicit and prescription medication abuse are generally low, IOM notes that medication abuse in the military is on the rise. Just 2% of military members reported misusing prescription drugs in 2002, compared with 11% in 2008. According to the IOM:
Substance use disorders extend to all branches of the military and can be exacerbated by deployment. In recent years, the face of the issue has been transformed by skyrocketing prescription painkiller use. Military physicians wrote nearly 3.8 million prescriptions for pain medication in 2009, more than quadruple the number of such prescriptions written in 2001. Some have attributed these trends to combat-related injuries and strains from carrying heavy packs, body armor, and weapons over mountainous terrain during multiple deployments.
20%
The percentage of active duty military personnel who report having engaged in heavy drinking, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) -- Substance Use Disorders in the U.S. Armed Forces. This is according to data from 2008, which IOM says is the latest available. The report also says binge drinking among active duty personnel increased from 35% in 1998 to 47% in 2008.
Although rates of illicit and prescription medication abuse are generally low, IOM notes that medication abuse in the military is on the rise. Just 2% of military members reported misusing prescription drugs in 2002, compared with 11% in 2008. According to the IOM:
Substance use disorders extend to all branches of the military and can be exacerbated by deployment. In recent years, the face of the issue has been transformed by skyrocketing prescription painkiller use. Military physicians wrote nearly 3.8 million prescriptions for pain medication in 2009, more than quadruple the number of such prescriptions written in 2001. Some have attributed these trends to combat-related injuries and strains from carrying heavy packs, body armor, and weapons over mountainous terrain during multiple deployments.