STUDY: MILITARY NEEDS TO BETTER ADDRESS SUBSTANCE ABUSE BY TROOPS

By Gregg Zoroya

The Pentagon must acknowledge a "public health crisis" in the growing abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs by troops and show stronger leadership in dealing with it, according to a report by a blue ribbon committee released Monday.

The report by an Institute of Medicine panel calls for better policing of underage drinking, reducing access to alcohol on bases and bringing treatment programs -- some of which haven't evolved since the Vietnam War -- into the 21st century.

"I think they're ready to acknowledge that they can do better," Dennis McCarty, a public-health expert on the panel, said of the military. Alcohol and drug abuse are frequently linked to record suicides plaguing the military, a problem that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told USA TODAY over the weekend requires stronger leadership to address.

The study emerges as new Pentagon figures show the rate of prescription medications handed out by military caregivers has soared since the Afghanistan War began in 2001.

Nearly 5 million prescriptions for pain medication, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, stimulants and barbiturates were provided to troops last year, up from fewer than a million in 2001, according to Pentagon data.

The panel cites statistics showing opiate pain medication abuse increasing in the military from 2% to 11% from 2005 to 2008, the latest data available.

The problem was worse in the Army, which has borne much of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. There, one in four soldiers admitted in 2008 to abusing prescription drugs during a one-year period. The panel cited data showing that binge drinking --consuming five drinks in one setting -- is 50% higher among servicemembers ages 18-35 than among civilians. Nearly 60% of Marines engage in binge drinking.

Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said military health officials "are in the process of analyzing (the committee's) findings and recommendations. But most importantly, we want to do the right thing by the servicemember.

"If there are areas in need of improvement, then we will work to improve those areas," Smith says. "The health and well-being of our servicemembers is paramount."

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