Current excessive drinking among Vietnam veterans: a comparison with other veterans and non-veterans

Analysis of recent data collected in a 1977 U.S. national epidemiologic study of substance abuse revealed that Vietnam veterans (N=87) had substantially higher levels of alcohol consumption and binge drinking, than comparable groups of Vietnam "era" veterans with no Vietnam service (N=107), other veterans (N=483), and nonveterans (N=2,600). Vietnam veterans and Vietnam era veterans also had a somewhat higher level of drug abuse than expected for individuals from similar social backgrounds. Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) was the technique used to adjust for demographic differences between these four groups. The results of these analyses reinforced previous research findings and substantiated the President's Commission on Mental Health, which speculated that alcohol abuse may become a special health problem among this population. Since evidence for "post-traumatic" or delayed stress among Vietnam veterans has been culminating, and some research has indicated a link between stress and increased alcohol consumption, it was suggested that the drinking pattern found among this Vietnam veteran sample may be a symptom of post-traumatic stress.