Preventing, Identifying, and Treating Substance Use Disorders among Service Members

Substance use disorders affect active-duty service members health and ability to perform their duties. While service members use illicit substances at lower rates than the general population, binge drinking rates in the military exceed those among the general population. A significant portion of active-duty service members will experience a substance use disorder during their enrollment in the military, yet they may not seek out treatment due to stigma, lack of knowledge, or lack of access to high quality treatment.

It is important for military leaders to learn how to recognize common signs that may indicate unhealthy substance use among service members, as well as to take steps to guide service members with suspected substance use disorders to treatment.

Read more: https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Centers-of-Excellence/Psychological-Health-Center-of-Excellence/Clinicians-Corner-Blog/Preventing-Identifying-and-Treating-Substance-Use-Disorders-among-Service-Members?utm_medium=govdelivery&utm_source=email