Army delays confidential alcohol counseling program

[MindMover]

Despite high rates of alcohol abuse, the Army has delayed for nearly three years a plan to offer all soldiers access to confidential counseling for drinking problems, a move that leaders in alcohol abuse treatment say is a mistake.

Army soldiers fill out a questionaire as part of the Military Pathways program, a free, anonymous mental health and alcohol self-assessment at Fort Hamilton Army Garrison in Brooklyn in 2009.

The Army began a pilot program in 2009 for confidential treatment, but it continues debating what to do next because of a high dropout rate.

One in four GIs now have a drinking problem, and alcohol has been linked to record numbers of suicides, sexual assaults and domestic abuse cases, Army research shows.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2012-02-23/army-alcohol-abuse-confidential-counseling/53517762/1?

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Are we going to get serious about substance abuse......this is a pet peeve of mine since I am a clinical psychologist who specializes in substance abuse.....

[JSnuffy]

1. Difficult to implement in a military structure...

The treatment is available but commanders have to know where their troops are and what they are doing during the duty day.

[sarge43]

2. There's also security issues

Will counseling mean pulling security clearance? Don't know if the Army has anything similar, but in the AF substance abuse means removal from the Personel Reliability Program, ie can't do job and a career killer for noncoms and officers.