Las Vegas NowMore Returning Troops Abusing Alcohol
So yeah, the numbers are defiantly increasing," said Shalimar Cabrera.
"I'm sure it's not just starting when they get home," said Steven Barela.The War on Terror has a new generation of men and women who are coming home from combat, and the younger they are, the more likely they are to not just drink, but binge drink. Many brave men and women who served overseas are now finding themselves out on the streets, this time losing the battle with alcohol.
"Just last week we saw 10 Iraq and Afghanistan vets on the street in one week -- that is a lot. So yeah, the numbers are defiantly increasing," said Shalimar Cabrera.
Cabrera works with U.S. Vets, a program that helps veterans get off the streets, get sober and get back to life. Veterans of an earlier generation warn problems with alcohol start long before those at home see it.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program
916 W. Owens Ave.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89106
1-702 636-6380
1-702-636-3061
"I'm sure they are getting their fair share of alcohol over there. I'm sure it's not just starting when they get home," said Steven Barela.
Barela says in the military, they referred to alcohol as medicine and you never had to go too long without it, "After 90 days, they brought beer on the ship. They just heloed in all these big pallets."
He says he sees how solders would find it easy to turn to drinking -- even binge drinking -- after their experiences, "A lot of them are not coming back, and those that are, they're emotionally scarred, you know. And sure, alcohol is the easy thing to turn to because it soothes."
But he hopes he and others can serve as a cautionary tale for troops, before another generation loses their life to a bottle, "Alcohol is not the answer, it is the problem."
The study done by the Journal of the American Medical Association says problems with alcohol are seen more often with Reserve and National Guard Troops because they're given the least amount of time to adjust between serving overseas and coming back home.
The VA has programs to help with the psychological issues many of these troops face, as well as drug and alcohol programs. They say they just need to get more troops to take advantage of them.
