PTSD in World War II Vets: Direct Relation to Alcoholism & Drug Abuse

The alcoholism rate of Veterans is at least twice that of non-Veterans, the relative risks are appalling...

A World War II Veteran visits the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy: Scott Ableman via Flickr

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - There has been a lot of Bull Roar that WWII Vets do not/did not have PTSD as did Vietnam and Middle East Vets. I say Bull Roar. We WWII Vets got it too. In a previous article, I wrote that a WWII Ranger still had it 64 years later. I can say the same about myself. I still have it and I don’t believe it will ever go away despite what some of the pseudo psychiatrists at the VA have been bleating, for instance “You’ll get over it in a few months. Take these Valiums”. I have been reading about these VA horse biscuits for years up to the time that I went there myself to be greeted with, “You are a World War II Vet you couldn’t possibly still have PTSD”.

I consider myself to be a fairly rational person even after 25 months in the Infantry and about 3 months in real combat. Either or both of these will frazzle ones brain if he had one to start.

I referred to my computer searching PTSD in World War Two Veterans. Boy oh boy did I get a snootfull.

I knew from my Army experience that the Army introduces recruits to be alcoholics. Basic Training is so psychologically stultifying that the first chance they got, even at 18 years old or less, was to go to the in camp beer join and get plastered. This was a good way to escape the Army horse hockey for even a few hours. After that, beer became the soldier boys sody pop.

I went into a few Veterans Clubs during and after WWII and the main attraction was cheap booze. Before anyone shoots his mouth off, I’ve been smashed with the best/worst of them and I do drink booze so clam up.

I am a medical marijuana doctor (with about 6000 patients) and my patients frequently asked or told me, my grandfather, father, uncle or brother rarely talked to me about their war experiences but they did drink a lot. “Is there a connection or explanation”? YEP! Re-read a couple of above paragraphs.

I finally decided to search the mentioned subject on the Internet. The first thing that jumped out was a litany of diseases and comparative risks compared to non-Veterans. Alcohol (and free cigarettes) in the Armed Services is killing the Vets at an enormous number. I was suspicious of that but the figures are alarming.

The alcoholism rate of Veterans is at least twice that of non-Veterans, the relative risks are appalling:

• Alcoholism - 12.8 times more
• Tuberculosis - 10.2 times more
• Alcoholic Cirrhosis - 3.3 times more
• Severe Trauma - 3.1 times more
• Non Malignant G.I. Problems - 2.5 times more
• Ill defined Cause - 2.1 times more
• Non Malignant Respiratory - 1.7 times more
• Heart Disease - 1.4 times more

In those discharged for alcoholism it was double.

It was not surprising to read in the same section of the computer listings that PTSD was the most common cause of alcoholism and that 3 of 5 combat vets had PTSD sometimes not really showing up for 40 to 50 years after exposure.

The reason for the connection of alcoholism to PTSD is not always clear but the recruits found out very early that alcohol was the most available tranquilizer and sedative. Besides that we saw a whole bunch of tipsy officers and we KNEW they were getting booze rations and the officers clubs swished with ardent spirits.

A L C O H O L... K I L L S... P T S D... V E T S !!

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