MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Prime for Life, a fairly new course introduced to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, was implemented in July 2012. The Prime for Life website defines the program as a drug and alcohol program designed to challenge common beliefs and attitudes gently but powerfully to reduce the risk of health and impairment problems due to high-risk alcohol and drug use.
More than 2 million people have participated in the evidence-based curriculum since it was founded in 1983. The program has courses ranging from four and a half hours to 20 hours long. MCB Hawaii facilitators teach the 16-hour curriculum in a two-day course conducted at the Base Substance Abuse Counseling Center.
The course was used in the private sector before the Marine Corps implemented it. As of April 2013, MCB Hawaii has conducted the eighth version of the program for nine months.
“There are similar programs to Prime for Life, however, the Prime for Life program initiated last July is science and evidence-based and replaced the Alcohol Impact Course which was not evidence-based,” said Jonathan Barkley, a retired Marine, Certified Prevention Specialist, and facilitator for Prime for Life courses.
Prime for Life is a free course conducted aboard base and available to all active duty Marines, sailors, and qualified family members struggling with alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Prime for Life is an education level class and not a treatment program.
“What I appreciate about the curriculum is the scientific aspects, the biological and behavioral studies and evidence included and not just based on opinion and personal bias,” Barkley said. “You can’t defeat the science of what high risk alcohol use and abuse of drugs will do to you regardless of your rank, sex, income, how many deployments you’ve completed or how many sports you participated in. Alcohol and drug addiction knows no boundaries.”
To attend the Prime for Life course, a person must either be command referred or a self-referral. A command referral could originate from the chain of command when a Marine or sailor is identified through an alcohol or drug related incident. A self-referral would be a Marine, sailor, or family member, who wasn’t necessarily involved in an incident, but thinks he or she may have questions or issues they want to explore with the Substance Abuse Counseling Center team.
Command and self-referrals for active duty personnel require a visit with their unit’s Substance Abuse Control Officer and be interviewed.
Afterward, the SACO will make an appointment for the Marine or sailor at the SACC. Civilian family members can go directly to the SACC for an interview and screening. All referrals are seen by professional SACC counselors.
Barkley stated some clients realize they may have issues while others may not understand the extent of their issues. The SACC is fully prepared to support and assist active duty personnel and their adult family members. The SACC also provides immediate assistance with local referral information for those under the age of 18.
The course is conducted in an informal yet structured setting at the SACC. The clients receive a Prime for Life workbook full of insightful educational materials and activity scenarios. The course uses slide presentations, group activities and videos of actual cases and actor-based scenarios. Interaction and discussion is a pivotal component for clients and the facilitators.
“The number of participants varies each month,” Barkley said. “Ideally, classroom sizes range anywhere from five clients to 15, but approximately 30 clients is the maximum number of people we prefer for each class.”
The Prime for Life course also includes a mandatory Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meeting attended by each client.
“Prime for Life satisfies most states’ requirements for a person to be able to apply for reinstatement of driver’s license privileges if those privileges have been lost,” Barkley said. “The state of Hawaii requires attendance and completion of a minimum 14-hour education program to apply for reinstatement of driving privileges. The SACC’s Prime for Life education meets the state’s requirement at no cost to our clientele.”
Barkley said he endeavors to influence not only immediate short-term improvements with a client but also improved long-term quality of life results for each client. He strives to provide the most current information and educational tools to prepare Marines and sailors for successful future low-risk choices and decisions after their military obligations are completed.
“I’m looking at the long term past their military enlistment,” Barkley said. “A lifetime of wiser choices directly related to early education and prevention from the opportunities presented during an individual’s enlistment can be priceless life lessons. Not only does the individual ‘win,’ but everyone else ‘wins’ in the short and long term because of better health, lower medical costs, better relationships, productivity and improved quality of life. Many individuals don’t stop to think about how the decisions they make today by living in the moment can affect their lives and others today, next month, or years from now. The consequences can be deadly.”
The Prime for Life course uses a very thorough and detailed self-assessment examination as well as an array of tools the client can use to make better, wiser choices in relation to alcohol, prescription and illegal drug use. Barkley thinks the evidence-based curriculum should be taught to every Marine and sailor to better educate and prevent incidents prior to the event happening rather than afterward or only as a command or self-referral.
“We are researching the possibility of conducting a four and a half hour condensed version of Prime for Life providing an updated, evidence-based course of professional military education across the board for all Marines and sailors for the good of the Marine Corps and society in general,” Barkley said.