Alcohol Use and Abuse: Background Information for Security Personnel

Abstract : This study of alcohol abuse and alcoholism as it relates to personnel security is prepared as background information for policy makers, adjudicators, investigators, and researchers. It discusses the relationships between alcohol use and personnel security, the prevalence of alcohol use and abuse, indicators of alcohol dependence and abuse, the relationships of alcohol problems to other forms of problem behavior, and treatment effectiveness and relapse rates. About 10% of adult Americans have a serious alcohol problem. Excessive alcohol consumption may impair judgement and increase the risk of accidental, careless or even deliberate disclosure of classified information. Motivation for using alcohol or any other drug is one of the most potent predictors of future use or problems with that drug. If the motivation is experimentation, peer pressure, or adolescent rebelliousness, this does not necessarily lead to future abuse. To the extent that alcohol is used as a means of coping with life's problems, such as stress or low self-esteem, then one can expect that the alcohol consumption itself may eventually become a source of future problems. Solitary drinking is far more predictive of future problems than social drinking. So is drinking prior to social events(to relax), as compared with alcohol use at social events.