Little is known about alcohol abuse among military recruits, the factors that help explain it, and how recruits contribute to the high rates of alcohol abuse in the military. Because recruits, primarily young males, are at high risk for alcohol abuse and associated problems, they may bring alcohol problems to the military when they join. Alternatively, some aspects of military life may encourage alcohol abuse, despite official alcohol policies to the contrary. The proposed study will begin to address these gaps and will enhance understanding of the role of the military environment in alcohol abuse, as well as background and risk/protective factors that may mediate the relationships. The research has the following three major aims: (1) Examine the nature, extent, and demographic and background correlates of alcohol abuse (binge drinking, heavy drinking, symptoms of dependence, and other alcohol-related problems) among recruits at entry to military service, and compare recruits with demographically similar civilians and other junior enlisted military personnel. (2) Identify risk and protective factors most strongly related to alcohol abuse among military recruits, identify high- and low-risk populations, and compare military recruits with demographically similar civilians and other active-duty military personnel. (3) Assess changes in patterns and correlates of alcohol abuse and associated risk/protective factors among military recruits between entry and 18 months of military service, and compare temporal changes among military recruits with those among demographically similar civilians.

To achieve these aims, we propose to conduct a longitudinal study of active-duty military recruits to assess premilitary alcohol abuse during basic training and current alcohol abuse 18 months later. Baseline and follow-up surveys will assess patterns of alcohol abuse and other alcohol-related problems, as well as risk/protective factors related to alcohol abuse, such as perceived drinking norms, risks/benefits of heavy drinking, stress of military life, and perceptions and orientations toward alcohol use among military personnel. The study also will compare drinking behaviors of recruits with those of comparable civilians and other junior enlisted military personnel, drawing on data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, and the Department of Defense Surveys of Substance Abuse and Health Behaviors among Military Personnel.

Our goal is to make available, for the first time, comprehensive data on military recruits drawn from a probability sample encompassing all four active-duty services to assess alcohol abuse and risk/protective factors when recruits enter military service and trace changes in both sets of factors during the first 18 months of military service. The study will help to separate the influence of young adulthood and of the military experience on high rates of alcohol abuse. These combined data are vital to understanding additional steps that the military might take in addressing issues of alcohol abuse, such as changes in alcohol use policies and practices, prevention approaches and programs, and recruit screening and selection methods.

To ensure the successful conduct of the study, the project brings a highly qualified team of researchers from the Research Triangle Institute and advisors from the active-duty services. The team understands the key issues about alcohol abuse among young adults and military personnel and offers extensive experience in the design, collection, and analysis of large-scale survey data.