Military Veterans and Substance Use Disorders

Guest: Elizabeth Evans, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Policy, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Adults who grew up with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are more likely to turn to drug and alcohol abuse. Veterans are also more likely to turn to substances than civilians. A study of US military veterans realized a higher concentration of veterans also had adverse childhoods. The effect of ACEs in veterans compounds the risk of later substance abuse. According to civilian studies, men are more likely than women to turn to substances. But this new study saw that all veterans are more likely, regardless of gender. This means that female veterans are more like male veterans than they are like civilian women. And a surprisingly high percentage of female veterans had adverse childhood experiences, including the highest rate of childhood sexual abuse. The study tentatively says that among the veterans who did have ACEs, the men are more likely to use alcohol and the women to use drugs.