Alcohol abuse in armed forces ‘substantial’

“Urgent action” is needed to tackle rising levels of alcohol abuse within the UK’s armed forces, according to a report published today by the House of Commons Defence Committee.

According to research by King’s College Military Health Research (KCMHR), alcohol misuse in the military was “substantially higher” than seen in the civilian population and was particularly prominent among 16 to 19 year olds.

Military men were said to drink over twice the hazardous levels and females over three times, with male NCOs and Officers found more likely to die from alcohol-related causes than other occupational groups within the general population.

Following a review of the long-terms health impact of military service, the House of Commons Defence Committee today concluded that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) needed to do more to halt the harm caused by the abuse of alcohol to both Armed Forces personnel and their families.

The report read: “The study reached some other worrying conclusions, in particular, that alcohol misuse continues to rise and is associated with criminal offences and violent behaviour causing problems to families and communities. It also pointed to an “attitudinal and cultural ambiguity regarding alcohol, it is considered by many to be a positive catalyst of group cohesion and to help Armed Forces personnel deal with the aftermath of deployment”.”

Recommendations to tackle the issue included limiting the availability of alcohol on Armed Forces premises and increasing its price; education of personnel; intervention for those with recognised alcohol problems; and better treatment options including the employment of alcohol misuse specialists.

The committee also questioned if some Armed Forces personnel were resorting to alcohol to help them with mental health problems, with between 6 and 7% of troops said to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Bryn Parry, co-founder of the armed forces charity Help For Heroes, said: “What we are seeing is that all those who have had some life-changing injuries, so that they can no longer do the job that they wanted to do, are presenting with some mental condition. They have concerns. They are not sleeping, they have anxieties or depression, and they are turning to alcohol and so on.”

An MoD spokesperson said it welcomed the committee’s report adding that the Government had invested around £7.2 million to improve mental health services available to Armed Forces personnel and was taking action to reduce alcohol misuse in the Armed Forces.