By Laura Husband

Soldiers in action are 22 per cent more likely to be alcoholics than those not deployed but have low levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, a new study has found.

The study, carried out at King’s College London, examined the mental health effects of serving in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2009.

Authors of the study, military expert Dr Nicola Fear and Professor of psychiatry Simon Wessely found 22 per cent of those who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan had misused alcohol.

“The Army itself encourages drinking because it numbs feelings while on the frontline,” explained Imogen Sturgeon-Clegg, a war veteran psychologist at psychological charity ‘Combat Stress’.

Deployed soldiers also developed social problems related to drinking too much including violence and relationship breakdown.

“A lot of people have problems with anger because in the army there are only two acceptable emotions: Anger and humour. Soldiers do not get a chance to talk through their experiences. They realise they’re suffering but can’t articulate it,” Sturgeon-Clegg said.

A low prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder was found among the deployed soldiers in the study. Between 2003 and 2009 it stayed at 3 to 4 per cent.
The authors found this surprising as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan lasted longer than expected.

But Sturgeon-Clegg argues, “Post-traumatic stress disorder has a delayed onset in war veterans and it takes an average of 14 years for them to ask Combat Stress for help. This is usually after they have had problems adjusting to civilian life.”