| Alcohol and the military was a subject recently | | | | drinking. It would be interesting to interview the |
| conducted by the University of Minnesota. The study | | | | same participants a few years in the future and see |
| focused on binge drinking with active-duty military | | | | if the binge drinking among those young men and |
| personal. Health and social problems associated with | | | | woman has progressed to full blown alcoholism. The |
| consumption of alcohol were included in the recent | | | | study is very clear on the problem between binging |
| study. The numbers were a... staggering; 43% of | | | | and public health in the military and is quick to make |
| active-duty personal reported 30 million episodes of | | | | suggestion to rectify the immediate problem. |
| binge drinking or 30 episodes per person per year. | | | | The study does not address the number of personal |
| The average age of those reporting was between 17 | | | | that will be discharged with a drinking problem or the |
| and 25. Problems reported consisted of driving under | | | | social implications. Many of those in the study will |
| the influence and poor job performance including | | | | need a drug rehab center. Will their insurance cover |
| absenteeism. | | | | pricy private facilities? Will our economic woes cause |
| Alcohol and the military is certainly not a new | | | | government treatment programs to disappear? |
| problem. The literature on this issue goes back some | | | | These are difficult questions that must be answered |
| twenty years. What we are seeing is an increase in | | | | if we are to show our gratitude toward the young |
| the reported abuse which is consistently under | | | | men and women that freely put themselves in harms |
| reported. Binge drinking would simply suggest that | | | | way to protect our way of life. |
| there are periods of sobriety between the bouts of | | | | |