Report: Military not adequately handling addiction in the ranks

(CBS News) A branch of the National Academy of Sciences reported today that doctors in military hospitals appear to be overprescribing pain pills and the result is often addiction.

Thirty-year-old Michael Long still has the bullet he took in his back during a tour in Iraq in 2005. He says removing it would have been too dangerous.

Institute of Medicine calls drinking, drug abuse in U.S. military a "public health crisis"

He said the injury is still "extremely painful."

In a military hospital, he got hooked on painkillers.

Michael Long, a former Army solider, became hooked on pain killers in a military hospital after he was shot in the back in Iraq in 2005.

/ CBS News

"At first I ended up taking them the way they prescribe them. When then they stop doing anything, you take twice as much as you're supposed to be taking," he said. "It's when you start running out halfway through and you're like, 'Oh my God, I'm addicted to opiates. I'm a junkie now.'"

He admitted he had to start doing "seedier dirty things" like dealing with drug dealers or buying the drugs off someone who else who has painkillers.

Long entered an Army treatment program but continued to abuse drugs. He was arrested and given a Bad Conduct Discharge, which meant he couldn't get veteran's benefits for future treatment of chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"To be honest, you're too afraid to admit that you have a drug problem to seek any type of help," he said.

Today's report calls the problem in military medicine "a public health crisis." It cites failures in prevention, diagnosis and treatment. It found outdated programs, poorly trained staff and a lack of confidentiality for patients.

"Once the discussion starts then the treatment can start as well," retired Lieutenant General David Fridovich said.

Fridovich became dependent on painkillers in a military hospital after a severe back injury. He calls substance abuse a wound of war.

"The soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines - they're the ones that are paying the heavy price, and I think the nation has a debt that it can't walk away from for these men and women who've served," he said.

Long is now in a recovery program paid for by a private charity. The Department of Defense says it's analyzing today's recommendations and will work on areas that need improvement.

[tellingthetruth2/17]

Here is a good one for you all. Long was never shot on his deployment! I know this for a fact because we were on the same deployment together. Addicted to pain killers, yeah he was probably addicted because as soon as we got back he got straight into drugs probably started where he left off before he joined the military. Long was your typical soldier that did not want to be in the Army. Trouble maker and never wanted to progress himself. There have been many cases where I have seen soldiers that I know try to pull some stunts after getting out of the military after that deployment in 05. It just pisses me off so much to see this and yet there are people that are out of the military that do not ask for help but yet they do need it. LONG is lying to you guys so much!!!! There might be a bullet in his back, but that is probably from a bad drug deal that went bad after he was DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED from the military. Yet reporters are so quick to get a story instead of getting the facts right. I do not even think Long ever did a patrol in Ramadi. He was one of the ones that sat on the FOB all year long. Again I am going to say that Long is lying about all of this, and the charity that is helping him should read this.

[msimamaji]

Afghanistan is the drug capitol of the world. The Russians learned this several decades ago. Now it's our turn.

Let's get our troops out of Afghanistan ASAP. And let's not start a war with Iran - which is what the GOP wants us to do.

That's the best way to combat drug addiction. (As well as re-hiring Obama and firing the entire war-mongering GOP.)

[honestabe8]

legalization is the best way to combat drug addiction

[karek40]

Having served in combat I saw many (not wounded) with the attitude what are you going to do to me if you catch me, put me on the front lines. I might add they continue to take drugs in civilian life.

[Insight234]

As a Case Manager at a military hospital in Germany I was frustrated in attempts to get some of the military physicians to acknowledge that the service members were becoming addicted to/dependent on the meds like Fentanyl for pain and Xanax for anxiety. The one treatment program that was available to them in Europe was apparently too expensive and we were told we could no longer utilize it, yet there was no available option for the treatment of prescription drug abuse. My department head was more concerned about how it would look on the service member's record if there was any reference to a prescription drug problem rather than getting the person the help he needed. These patients didn't prescribe the drugs to themselves, they were given these drugs sometimes by the Pain Medicine clinic. Our servicemen and women deserve to get treated and receive all the help they need before they get out of the military and return to civilian life where they either are stuck in the VA system still addicted those meds or - as recently happened in New York - turn to crime to feed a habit they didn't have before they joined the military.

[Blackwatertom328]

This is a huge media conglomerate and you missed the letter C in addiction in the main title. Maybe a little proofreading might prevent that from happening again.