Citation

Bray RM, Brown JM, Williams J. Subst. Use Misuse 2013; 48(10): 799-810.

Affiliation

Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Research Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park , North Carolina , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.3109/10826084.2013.796990

PMID

23869454

Abstract

Population-based Department of Defense health behavior surveys were examined for binge and heavy drinking among U.S. active duty personnel. From 1998-2008, personnel showed significant increases in heavy drinking (15% to 20%) and binge drinking (35% to 47%). The rate of alcohol-related serious consequences was 4% for nonbinge drinkers, 9% for binge drinkers, and 19% for heavy drinkers. Personnel with high combat exposure had significantly higher rates of heavy (26.8%) and binge (54.8%) drinking than their counterparts (17% and 45%, respectively). Heavy and binge drinking put service members at high risk for problems that diminish force readiness and psychological fitness.

Language: en