Stress of Combat May Lead Younger Soldiers to Alcohol Abuse

Military personnel who experience the stress of service in combat zones may, like anyone, attempt to self-medicate their stress away through abuse of alcohol.  Excessive consumption of alcohol by members of the armed forces can have negative effects both on the individuals and on the readiness of the military.

A recent study that investigated the alcohol use of soldiers who moved through a mobilization center on their way to combat and on their return suggests that specific characteristics of soldiers can predict how likely they are to fall into a cycle of alcohol use to cope with stress.  The study was conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina and the U.S. Army Warrior Resilience Program.

The researchers, led by Dr. Arthur Blume, found that male soldiers were likely to consume more alcohol than female soldiers, and that the younger a soldier was, the more likely he or she was to consume more than the average quantity of alcohol.  How much stress the soldier encountered had some connection to levels of alcohol use.

The variable that had the closest connection to alcohol consumption, however, was the soldiers’ duty status before they were mobilized for combat.  Those who were on active duty before being sent into combat areas were at significantly less risk of alcohol abuse.  Soldiers called up from the Reserves or National Guard were far more likely to consume above average quantities of alcohol.

Specifically, younger male soldiers who were non-active duty before being mobilized were the group at greatest risk for binge drinking and other problematic drinking behaviors.

The researchers theorize that regular duty military men and women may be somewhat protected from risk in this area by their previous immersion in military culture.  The traditional wisdom passed from soldier to soldier may help regular duty service men and women to cope with the stress of combat more effectively and prepare them to meet the challenges of maintaining their health, both mental and physical, in combat settings.  Although some researchers have talked about this concept of “military hardiness” in the past, the authors of the present study feel that further research into the differences between regular duty and reserve soldiers is called for.

Blume and his colleagues reported the results of this study in the June issue of the journal Military Medicine.