Recovery Web Cast Focuses on Veterans
Veterans
face higher risks of alcohol and substance abuse than
other people, according to a new SAMHSA Web cast, "Recovery
and the Military: Treating Veterans and Their Families."
The second in a series of nine Road to Recovery
2006 Web casts to be developed by SAMHSA's Center
for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), the hour-long program
offers information about preventing, identifying, and
treating alcohol and substance abuse problems in veterans
and their families.
In this series, a new Web cast premiers the first Wednesday
of each month and is available for viewing anytime after
that. The Web casts are part of the year-round activities
leading up to National Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Recovery Month in September.
In addition to CSAT Director H. Westley Clark, M.D.,
J.D., M.P.H., the panel discussion features Patricia
B. Getty, Ph.D., Supervisory Public Health Advisor at
SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention; Richard
T. Suchinsky, M.D., Associate Chief Consultant for Addictive
Disorders at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA); Ezekial Pankey, Followup Counselor and Case Manager
at the Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training;
treatment providers; and veterans themselves. Associate
Director for Consumer Affairs Ivette Torres of CSAT hosts
the program.
Soldiers exposed to combat "see things that most
people don't witness, such as colleagues getting wounded
or killed," explains Dr. Clark, noting that soldiers
also are isolated from their family, friends, and communities.
Once they're back home, veterans may begin using alcohol
or drugs as a way of handling anxiety, depression, or
post-traumatic stress disorder.
These attempts at self-medication can spiral out of
control and even lead to domestic violence, divorce,
and homelessness. Spouses and children also are at risk
of substance abuse. Fortunately, the Web cast explains,
help is available for both veterans and their families
through the VA and civilian counseling services and substance
abuse treatment.
To view the Web cast, visit www.recoverymonth.gov/2006/
multimedia/w.aspx?ID=470. As part of Road
to Recovery 2006 and the Ask the Expert series,
Dr. Suchinsky answers viewers' followup questions at
www.recoverymonth.gov/
2006/multimedia/expert1.aspx.
Additional information on veterans and substance abuse
is available through SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies
at
www.oas.samhsa.gov
(see
SAMHSA News, January/February 2006).
Back to Top
Conference Supports Veterans
The May/June issue of SAMHSA News will
feature coverage of "The Road Home: The National
Behavioral Health Conference on Returning Veterans
and Their Families—Restoring Hope and Building
Resiliency."
|
« See Also—Previous Article
See Also—Next
Article »
Back to Top
|