Brief Description
©istockphoto/oscarcwilliamsActive duty and retired members of the armed forces are not immune to the substance use problems that affect the rest of society. The stresses of deployment during wartime and the unique culture of the military account for some differences between substance use in military members and civilians. Zero-tolerance policies and stigma pose difficulties in identifying and treating substance use problems in military personnel, as does lack of confidentiality that deters many who need treatment from seeking it.
Those with multiple deployments, combat exposure, and related injuries are at greatest risk of developing substance use problems. They are more apt to engage in new-onset heavy weekly drinking and binge drinking, to suffer alcohol- and drug-related problems, and start smoking or relapse to smoking. Like civilians, they risk addiction to opioid pain medicines prescribed after an injury. NIDA continues to examine the trends in substance use in specific populations, including military personnel, and search for better methods for preventing and treating substance use disorders that are specific to these populations.
Service members, veterans, and their families who need help dealing with substance abuse issues may find the following resources helpful:
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Treatment Programs for Substance Use Problems: http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/MENTALHEALTH/res-vatreatmentprograms.asp
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: National Center for PTSD: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/problems/ptsd_substance_abuse_veterans.asp
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Veterans and Military Families: http://www.samhsa.gov/veterans-military-families
- SAMHSA Treatment Locator: http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ or 1-800-662-HELP
Current Research
NIDA is currently funding 18 studies in this area for FY 2016. Open the accordion below for links that will take you to the project descriptions in the NIH RePORT database. You can also find recent publications of NIDA-funded research in the PubMed database. In addition, there are many clinical trials currently open to military personnel and veterans. For more information, see our Clinical Trials page.
NIDA-Funded Grants
- Mild TBI: Effects on Addiction-Related Phenotypes and Mesocorticolimbic Function
- Opioid Misuse and Overdose Risk Patterns Among Recent Veteran
- Substance Use in Reservists Social and Environmental Influences
- Barriers to Effective Tobacco Control Policy Implementation in the U.S. Military
- IGF/OT/IGF FY-15 IWIN: Navigating Your Path to Well Being
- Integrating Neurobiology and Neuroimaging into Research on Addiction and PTSD
- Marijuana Use, Problems, and Cannabis Use Disorders in OIF/OEF/OND Veterans
- New, Emerging, and Traditional Tobacco Use in the Military
- PET-Derived "Dopamine Movies" of Early-Stage Addiciton to Cigarette Smoking: A Pilot Study
- RCT of TDCS-Augmented CBT for Veterans with Pain and Opioid Misuse
- Strengthening Military Families Through Prosper Partnerships
- Targeting Military Opioid Misuse with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement
- Effectiveness of a Web-Enhanced Parenting Program for Military Families
- Effectiveness of a Web-Enhanced Parenting Program for Military Families
- Enhancing Civilian Support for Military Tobacco Control
- Integrated Treatment of OEF/OIF Veterans with PTSD and Substance Use Disorders
- Preventing Military Post-Deployment Adjustment Problems: Key Family Processes
- Prevention Prescription Drug Problems: A Pilot Military Opioid Safety Initiative
NIDA Grantee Spotlight: Military Veterans and Smoking
Related Publications
Related Resources
- Pain: U.S. Military and Veterans (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, December 2016)
- Military Drug Take Back Program offers safe drug disposal (Health.mil News Article, September 2016)
- FDA and the Department of Defense: A Joint Force to Reduce Tobacco Use in the Military (FDA blog, September 2015)
- Annual Evaluation of the TRICARE Program
- Supporting Those Who Serve (Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training, June 2013)
- Addressing Drug Abuse in the Armed Forces (Messages From the Director, November 2012)
- Substance Use Disorders in the U.S. Armed Forces (Report from the Institute of Medicine, September 17, 2012)
- Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (STARRS), an collaboration of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), the University of California, San Diego, University of Michigan, Harvard Medical School, and NIMH.
- SAMHSA - Military and Veteran Communities: Learn the Signs of Emotional Suffering and How to Help
Friends of NIDA 2013 Congressional Briefing
March 11, 2013: Washington, D.C. - Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families: How Substance Abuse Research is Effecting Positive Change, hosted by the Friends of NIDA in conjunction with the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus and the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse.
Slide Presentations:
- How Substance Abuse Research is Effecting Positive Change (PDF, 2.3 MB) - Dr. Wilson Compton, NIDA
- Evaluation of a Web-Enhanced Parenting Program for Military Families: After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools/ADAPT (PDF, 590 KB) - Dr. Abigail Gewirtz, University of Minnesota
- Military Personnel, Veterans and their Families: How Substance Abuse Treatment Research is Effecting Positive Change (PDF, 1.3 MB) - Dr. Kathleen Carroll, Yale University School of Medicine
Press/Media Releases
- November 10, 2015 - SAMHSA connects veterans to needed behavioral health care
- November 12, 2014 - Soldiers at Increased Suicide Risk After Leaving Hospital (NIMH Press release - Related link - Army STARRS
- September 25, 2014 - NIH and VA address pain and related conditions in U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families
- August 26, 2010 - Studies on Combat Related Substance Use and Abuse to be Funded by NIH and VA
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