Alcohol Deglamorization and Norms of Alcohol Use at Air Command and Staff College

摘要

Substance abuse in the military has become an issue of steadily increasing interest and concern to military leaders. This paper endeavors to identify the degree to which the Air Force Alcohol Deglamorization Program is supported by the alcohol-use norms at Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), an Air Force Intermediate Service School located at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. The ACSC setting is also compared (via survey results) to the previous duty assignment of the survey respondents. This paper outlines from the literature some of the problems associated with alcohol use in the military (degraded job performance, alcohol related crimes, incidents of poor judgement). Some of the benefits attributed in the literature to alcohol use are also noted (increased military morale, cohesion, and camaraderie). Literature suggesting that military members should adhere to a moral standard that is higher than the typical American citizen is noted. Results suggest that those surveyed perceived the ACSC setting to be generally supportive of the Alcohol Deglamorization Program, with several notable exceptions. Specifically, survey results suggested that the officers surveyed agreed that attention is often focused on alcohol, that there is an emphasis on bringing the beer to social activities, and they only slightly agreed that alcohol use during the workday is unacceptable. Results also suggested that while treatment for alcohol abuse was likely to be supported in either setting, treatment was viewed as less likely to be supported at ACSC. Additional results suggested that Rated officers (those trained as pilots/ navigators) and Nonrated officers differed based on their view of the alcohol use norms at ACSC. Recommendations for future study and ideas for strengthening Alcohol Deglamorization at ACSC are offered.