Associations of military service history with heavy drinking and alcohol dependence in a general population sample of U.S. men

Background: Studies show increased substance abuse disorders (SUDs) among veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq versus non-deployed service members, as well as increased risk for SUDs over time for veterans of earlier conflicts. Methods: Data from male respondents in the 2010 National Alcohol Survey, including landline and cellular phone samples and ethnic oversamples (N = 3,531), were used in multivariate logistic regression models to examine whether military service was associated with past-year heavy drinking (5+ drinks at least weekly) and alcohol dependence and whether these relationships varied by age or drinking norms. Results: Older men were significantly more likely to report a history of military service than younger men (20% vs. 8%). Younger veterans were significantly more likely to report current military service than older veterans (19% vs. 1%); there was no difference in combat service by age (43% younger veterans, 44% older veterans). For younger men, there was a significant interaction of military service with norms that suggested a lower risk of heavy drinking for veterans without strong pro-drunkenness norms when compared to civilian men with similar norms. For older men, a history of military service was associated with marginally increased odds of weekly heavy drinking, independent of norms. Military service was not associated with alcohol dependence for younger or older men. Conclusions: For younger veterans, interventions to target drinking norms may further reduce heavy drinking. For older veterans, attention to heavy drinking also may be warranted to prevent long-term health consequences.