Binge Drinking Endemic in Military

A new survey shows that 43 percent of active-duty military personnel engage in frequent binge drinking, including underage soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, the Associated Press reported Feb. 13.

The survey of 16,037 military personnel by researchers at the University of Minnesota, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense, found that 67.1 percent of binge-drinking episodes were reported by active-duty personnel ages 17-25, with about a quarter reported by those ages 17-20.

About 20 percent of those surveyed were classified as heavy drinkers and were more likely to report alcohol-related work problems, drunk driving, and criminal-justice involvement.

The findings were published in the March 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.