When we think about alcohol or substance abuse in the military, most of us jump to familiar explanations: PTSD, deployment trauma, combat stress. These are the headline drivers we expect to see on intake forms and clinical assessments. But lurking quietly, often unnoticed and unspoken, is another powerful risk factor, one that rarely makes it onto the paperwork or into clinical interviews: boredom.
Parts I and II explored how opioids act on the brain and how American history — particularly its wars — helped fuel cycles of addiction. Now, we turn to the present. This final installment of “Who Can? We Can, Narcan!” focuses on the lifesaving tools that can interrupt that cycle, from medication-assisted treatment to emergency overdose reversal. In the military and veteran communities, where resilience is both a strength and a barrier to care, these interventions are transforming how we talk about and respond to overdose risk.
Hopefully, the title hooked you. Now what am I talking about? And who is “us”? The “what” is conversations about firearm safety and suicide prevention. The “who” is healthcare providers. Let’s take a few steps back…
While the condition of moral injury (MI) has been frequently studied in military populations, the impact of MI on military health care providers has been relatively overlooked in the research literature. This blog shares information from two recent publications, a narrative review and a qualitative study, that provide new information and insight into how MI is experienced by military providers. We also highlight information and select resources available for those experiencing or working with health care workers with MI.
Any parent would tell you the “why” questions start when we are young, usually around two- or three-years-old. The constant need to know the reason behind function, choices, and existence is inherent in us. We want to understand, and maybe if we can understand something, we feel more comfortable with it. The question of “why” helps us understand our surroundings, and this curiosity keeps us learning and growing.