Drug and Alcohol Abuse Related Programs and Policies for Upperclassmen

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Related Programs and Policies for Upperclassmen

Learning Topics Importance Drugs and Alcohol Combat Readiness Navy Policy on Alcohol Dealing with an Alcohol Incident Long term Abuse of Alcohol Navy Policy on Drugs Identifying a Drug User Taking the Appropriate Steps Alcohol and Drug Programs

Importance Alcohol and Drug abuse undermines combat readiness and is incompatible with the maintenance of high standards of performance and military discipline. It is a severe detriment to Navy’s overall mission readiness.

How drugs and Alcohol effect the Units Combat Readiness Alcohol and drug abuse by navy members can seriously damage their physical and mental health, jeopardize their safety, the safety of others, and can lead to criminal prosecution and separation from naval service Sailors need to be aware of these consequences in order to ensure that the unit is always ready

Navy Policy on Alcohol Minimum age to consume alcohol is 21. In a host country the minimum age to consume alcohol may be younger, but Military members shall conform to the legal age set by the United States

Dealing with Alcohol incident Commanders, commanding officer, and officer in charge must exercise sound judgment in enforcing Navy’s alcohol policies and ensure proper disposition of individual cases Cases are rarely set in black and white Every case needs to be analyzed and treated according to its merits

Dealing with long term abuse of alcohol Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse are recognized as treatable conditions. Referral for treatment, when there is no misconduct involved, regardless of whether the referral was initiated by the member or commanding officer, should not be viewed as detrimental when recommending member for promotion, command screen, or special assignment. The Navy offers different programs depending on location to deal with these problems

Navy Policy on Drugs The Navy drug Policy is ZERO tolerance. Navy members determined to be using, possessing, promoting, manufacturing, or distributing drugs shall be disciplined as appropriate and processed as required Mandatory processing, likely resulting in immediate separation

Identifying a Drug User Sight- Eyes glazed and red Smell- Many drugs have a distinct smell Sound- Listen to a person’s voice to see if it is off from normal or if their speech is slurred Actions- Many people exhibit peculiar behavior Stories do not add up when questioning the person

Taking the appropriate steps If a Sailor or Marine comes to you for help regarding an alcohol or drug related problem when no misconduct has occurred it is your duty to help that person A Sailor or Marine should never fear to ask for help from you in any way

Conclusion Alcohol is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 Drinking and driving is always illegal The Navy has a zero tolerance policy on drugs The Navy is extremely committed to delivering help to any sailor or Marine who asks for it

References Department of the Navy: OPNAV Instruction 5350.4D http://doni.daps.dla.mil/Directives/ 05000%20General%20Management %20Security%20and%20Safety %20Services/05-300%20Manpower %20Personnel%20Support/5350.4D.pdf Department of the Navy: Marine Corp Order P1700.24B http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/ Documents/MCO%20P1700.24B%20W%20CH %201.pdf