244923 Diverted prescription drug use and abuse among veterans returning to the inner city

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Alex Bennett, PhD , Institute for Soecial Populations Research, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc, New York, NY
This paper presents an analysis of prescription drug use while soldiers are on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and illegal use after returning to civilian life. Many soldiers are given prescription drugs while deployed to treat pain, sleep disorders, and anxiety, and little is known about their drug use and related health problems after they return home. The authors report on a five-year study of 300 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to New York's inner city, focusing on the complex inter-connected problems associated with veterans' mental health, substance use/abuse, and reintegration into family, work and community life. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used so that statistical estimates can be projected to the larger target population of interest. This paper examines the frequency of legitimate use of drugs as well as unregulated use for recreation or to maintain a habit, focusing on diversion of prescription drugs after returning to civilian life and its association with dependence, abuse and other serious mental health problems. Data are from the first phase of the study (N=300). The extended study will document the progress of these problems, techniques and resources used to cope, and the participants' subsequent successes or persistent challenges, which we speculate on in the discussion.

Learning Areas:
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe patterns of prescription drug use among military personnel during active duty and after returning to civilian life. 2. Assess persistent challenges related to prescription drug use and abuse veterans may encounter in civilian life.

Keywords: Prescription Drug Use Patterns, Veterans' Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I assisted in the development/implementation of the project as Senior Research Associate / Project Director and work with programs that service drug users.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.