TRICARE News Release
2009-04-06

Falls Church, VA. - April is Alcohol Awareness Month and TRICARE is committed to creating a “buzz” about the effects of alcohol abuse. A new TRICARE Web page at http://www.tricare.mil/alcoholawareness sheds some light on alcohol abuse and promotes responsible drinking.

Heavy alcohol consumption is a significant problem in the military that affects not just uniformed service members, but their families. The 2005 Department of Defense (DoD)-Health Affairs Survey on Health Related Behaviors Among Active Duty Personnel reports young men in each service branch had significantly higher rates of heavy drinking than their civilian counterparts. Of young men in all military branches, 32.2 percent engaged in heavy drinking, compared with 17.8 percent of civilian men.

The survey also reports that service members often use alcohol to cope with stress, boredom, loneliness and the lack of other recreational activities. Similar factors may encourage their family members to abuse alcohol too. Underage alcohol use by military personnel and children of service members is also an issue of major concern.

The new Web page serves as a starting place for beneficiaries to find information, links and news about alcohol, underage drinking, alcoholism and substance abuse. Another excellent resource that coincides with Alcohol Awareness Month is the DoD-funded site, http://www.thatguy.com, which highlights the social consequences of binge drinking.

Find out more about alcohol consumption at http://www.tricare.mil/pressroom/press_article.aspx?fid=459.

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