MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- For generations the Marine Corps has continued to battle a strong enemy. It has endangered Marines all over the world, affected loved ones and families at home, and jeopardized troop readiness, individual health, and mission accomplishment in several different units worldwide. The enemy isn’t a machine, a foreign army, or even a man — it’s a substance found in thousands of homes and stores, marketed on nearly every television channel, and has been embedded into many Marine Corps traditions. This enemy is alcohol.
In 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Inc., dedicated the month of April to alcohol awareness with a goal to reduce the stigma that often prevents individuals and families from seeking help.
Service members aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii are asked to take this month to learn more about the effects of alcohol, aim to make wise, low-risk choices when drinking and consider the long-term and short-term effects of their alcohol consumption.
“The Marine Corps cultural view on glamorizing, glorifying, consuming copious and reckless amounts of alcohol is changing,” said Jonathan Barkley, alcohol abuse prevention specialist for MCB Hawaii. “We are striving to become much healthier and more responsible with our alcoholic beverage intake choices over yesteryear. Gone are the days where erratic and peer-pressured behavior is condoned and considered acceptable on any level. Regardless of leadership, we should all set good examples where and when consumption of alcoholic beverages is present.”
According to Rick De Leon, director of behavioral health programs on MCB Hawaii, alcohol is a common denominator in many problems he deals with including substance abuse, family advocacy, sexual assault prevention and response, suicide prevention, and operational stress. The problem among Marines is not only admitting and accepting but also swallowing pride and asking for help.
“The reason why alcohol is such a big issue is because if you look at the list of behavioral health issues, alcohol plays a role in the majority of them,” De Leon said. “We want to empower people to ask for help when they need it. We’ve lost too many Marines to alcohol simply because they didn’t want to ask for help for fear of what their sergeant might say, or their command. We’ve witnessed the longest stretch of combat history in recent years so it doesn’t surprise us that so many people are becoming dependent on alcohol, but we need a change — and we’re working diligently for it.”
By reaching out in several communities and military installations around the nation, NCADD spreads the knowledge about alcohol as a chronic, progressive disease that is genetically predisposed and if untreated, can be fatal. It’s not a moral weakness from which people can easily recover but a disease that can affect every member of a family and is treatable.
“Alcohol doesn’t care what rank you possess, your age, gender, what your pay stub looks like, how many deployments you’ve been on, or where you were raised,” Barkley said. “We don’t go into the Marine Corps and battle with muskets anymore, nor should we embrace a Marine Corps that condones, hides, or ‘sweeps under the rug,’ any type of high-risk alcohol behavior or incidents. It’s the future of our Corps that we are looking at but in order to create a change we have to gain the attention of this generation and teach them about the effects of alcohol. Alcohol Awareness Month is for that.”