Soldiers start consuming alcohol at higher age than civilians, reveals Army study

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 26

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A study by military medical specialists has found that the ‘age at first drink’ (AFD) in the Indian armed forces is markedly delayed as compared with that among the general population.

This implies that those in uniform tend to begin to consume alcohol at a higher age than their civilian contemporaries.

Terming it to be a novel finding, the specialists also held that contrary to earlier studies, there was no correlation between AFD and the severity of alcohol dependence at detection in the Indian armed forces.

The study was undertaken by three psychiatrists at a large tertiary care multi-specialist hospital over a period of 24 months and has been published in the latest issue of the Medical Journal Armed Forces India.

Alcohol dependence syndrome is a public health problem worldwide and AFD is among the factors that impacts its occurrence. AFD, according to the study, has been linked to early onset and increased severity of alcohol dependence.

Pointing out that alcohol dependence among military personnel differs significantly from the general population, the authors state that checks and balances exist in the Indian military similar to that prevalent in other armies across the world.

In units of the Indian armed forces, alcohol is not permitted to young recruits until a minimum number of years for service, thus providing for a minimum age for purchase of alcohol.

In addition, there are several other checks in the unit such as officers and junior leaders sensitizing the “at risk” individuals about the consequences of risky drinking, peer intervention and an effective monitoring and reporting system that provides for an early detection of alcohol related problems.

The study has highlighted the effectiveness of such measures among the Indian armed forces personnel which is reflected in lower severity of alcohol dependence and could possibly be due to late onset of drinking or early detection of alcohol related problems.