I was married while I was in the military, and I can tell you that it is hard on spouses. I remember retirement ceremonies where wives were given awards and plaques for being there for their husbands. I didn’t understand it then, but with this new study I understand it way much more now.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found military wives tragically abuse drugs and alcohol more than their husbands due to many factors of military life.
What many don’t understand is that the service member goes through military training, but spouses don’t get that training. They move their families into military housing and have to live by a code, a law they never signed up for.
From Military.com:
The report from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that military wives are more likely than their civilian peers to abuse prescription medications meant to treat anxiety, attention deficit disorder and other psychological problems.
They’re also more likely than other married women to suffer from mental illness, consume liquor and binge drink, according to the analysis.
The relatively younger population of military wives partly explains the high levels of drinking, but the higher rates of mental illness might stem from the unusual hardships these women face — long periods of separation from husbands on deployment and the constant fear of those loved ones becoming injured or dying.
Meanwhile, the study indicated that military wives are less likely to use marijuana and just as likely to use illicit drugs overall.
“Our job as the statisticians is to collect the information and pass it on to the prevention and treatment specialists, who can take a look at see if it marries up with their expectations and how we should respond to this information,” said Rachel Lipari, a military sociologist who was the report’s lead author.
Over the decades, there has been limited research on substance abuse and mental health issues among military spouses.
Service members worry about their spouse’s safety, raising their kids, maintaining the household, and the government continuously reducing benefits and pay. And the post and commanders hold wives to standards as if they were military themselves.
Sooner or later, the wives are taking their ire out on the husband. We need a better military spouse system, to help each other while their spouse is on deployments and such. I’m sure it must be stressful on them. They carry such a huge burden, they deserve the very best.
Have you heard of anything like this before? What are your thoughts of this type of lifestyle and can it be fixed? Share your analysis below in the comment section and let me know what you think.
