A fog of drugs and war

A fog of drugs and war

www.latimes.com

After two long-running wars with escalating levels of combat stress, more than 110,000 active-duty Army troops last year were taking prescribed antidepressants, narcotics, sedatives, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety drugs, according to figures recently disclosed to The Times by the U.S. Army surgeon general. Nearly 8% of the active-duty Army is now on sedatives and more than 6% is on antidepressants — an eightfold increase since 2005.

(visit the link for the full news article)

What a tragedy. While I am against the insane and evil imperalist wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, I sympathize with soldiers as individuals.

The US treats its soldiers like disposable garbage. Keep 'em medicated to kill any conscience that might get in the way of slaughter.The attitude seems to be: "Who cares if it makes them slap-happy? Then when they come home, if they are brain-damaged or addicted to pharma-soot-ikles, so what? They can joing the other homeless trash and junkies under the bridge."

The moral strain of war demands a mental haze to continue for anyone who isn't stone psycho to begin with.

Is this really any surprise? Everything is disposable in Amerikkka - including those that are pledged to protect and defend it.


www.latimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Those pharma drugs will be given to them for free, at least long enough to get them hooked and dependent. If they return home disabled they will at least get them at a discount. It might help a few from becoming alcoholics.

Several years ago, I got the impression that if a person has taken anti-depressants(not just diagnosed) they were ineligible for enlistment. Was that wrong or has that changed? It made me wonder, even more, what the heck is in those pills that would make the service shun an applicant.
On topic, yea that is a lot of meds and I wonder how much thought goes into the synergistic effect of combined drug prescriptions.

spec

As most other combat veterans like myself will tell you. We may come home, we may even be physically whole, but the war never end for us. After experiencing some of the heaviest combat of the Iraq war I can tell you that war is not natural for human beings and it scars our souls forever.

When we come home and have difficulties they just cry 'PTSD', toss us some pills and kick us out the door. The VA mental health system is a joke in my experience. If anything it makes things more difficult for us. I quit taking the pills along time ago and am much better off for doing so. I have also found that being able to speak the truth and tell about some of my experiences here on ATS has been benificial as well.

I will never forgive the government for the things I have been through. It was not what I signed on for. There are so many of us here at home now who only have each other to rely on. We either run into people who constantly thank us for what we do or people that constantly berate us as well. Neither of which we appreciate. And they continue to try to poison us by shoving these drugs down our throats and hope that we continue to walk around in a drug filled haze. Everyday these problems are becoming more prevalent in our society. I have learned that only I can help myself and the most benificial thing I have done was to stop the medications and look beyond what's in front of my eyes to find the truth.

Thanks for posting. S&F

Semper Fi.

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Originally posted by Erongaricuaro
Those pharma drugs will be given to them for free, at least long enough to get them hooked and dependent. If they return home disabled they will at least get them at a discount. It might help a few from becoming alcoholics.

edit on 9-4-2012 by Erongaricuaro because: (no reason given)

If they come home disabled they will then have a "pre-existing condition" that only the VA can address..... which is often as good as being back in the field... considering the battles you have to endure to get meaningful aid from them.... unless you're story is good for public relations that is....

Sorry for the cynicism...I have a hard time not being a bit emotional about how veteran's get "treated" (or not) after they have served....

(By the way the vets may get the drugs for free while they are serving.... but the taxpayers still pay "brand-name" prices for that so-called benefit) And even when the vets are discharged... their "discounted' price on their meds is 'offset' by taxpayer dollars.... Big Pharma ALWAYS makes money.... on EVERY dose.... ALWAYS.

(PS - Yes I served)

My daughter and her husband were stationed at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. The brass got wind of how many soldiers were on sleeping pills like Ambien, so he gave a direct order to the physicians to not refill prescriptions and stop giving the drug.

A bunch of people had to go through withdrawal and not sleep for a week or so. I don't believe this is the way to go with our military. If they wouldn't over-tax these soldiers and continually re-deploy them overseas for no good reason, I think they would be a lot more mellow.

They all know the "war" over there in Iraq and Afghanistan is a bunch of BS. Originally they were on board thanks to the 9/11 brainwashing, and thought they were there to depose Saddam, but after that was done, they starting asking why they were still there.

Not only are they being asked to be the invaders in a foreign land so multinational corporations and war profiteers can slither in, but they are pushed beyond their limits. The average deployment overseas in WW2 was around 6 months. The average deployment now is 15 months, and a soldier can expect multiple deployments in a 4 year span. Many of them have injuries which are swept under the rug, and a lot of them have PTSD.

Between 3 of my close family members in the military, they have done 8 tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The medication is to keep them from going batty in an inhumane situation, where they are deployed for inhumane lengths of time, and asked to do inhumane things to innocent people.

So does this mean we as a country are paying high prices in health care to offset the cost of war.

reply to post by Leftist


The issue with these types of approaches to the potential mental issues some soldiers may have is that it subconsciously oks drug assistance/need. 1 can understand some of them may need it but also feel a good weekly or monthly talk with a psychiatrist or psychologist may be better support for those mentally scared. Back to the issue when these soldiers return home and may be addicted to some legal drugs (FOR PAIN ECT) and then cannot get them they "can" not saying they will but can begin to feed another non legal pharma. company via illegal prescription drug or illicite usage and it may not even be their fault. So again maybe a good talk with somebody with a level mind may help more then prescription med distribution and for those in pain BETTER PAIN CLINICS WITH GOOD HELP that encourages self overcomming of pain as opposed to prescription drug use. I know it will cost $$$ but my 3 cents.

Yeah, sott.net also covered this story. I realize that sott'net is much maligned here at ATS, but in all honesty, I don't understand why.

Anyway, as a side note. here is another article covering a similar incident Gardasil

Mmmmmmm, I see. I was wondering what the issue was between sott.net and ATS was....I guess I know now. That's unfortunate.

WTF?

reply to post by usmc0311


Can i just ask you something? Did you not know that you were going in and attacking another country that had done nothing to your own? Please I don't want to come across as though I'm attacking you. I just genuinely want to understand why soldiers go to a war most other people know is unjustified and immoral.

Couldn't you have just told them to stick it? Couldn't you of refused?

I do want to commend you for doing the right thing now though and I'm glad you got off the drugs and are feeling better for it.

reply to post by SpeakerofTruth

WTF?

I had the same thing happen to me a while back.
I believe it may be the source you cited, was it SOTT by chance? ATS has disqualified them because they have spread lies about ATS.
I think the mods should send out a member wide u2 so that everyone is aware.

peace

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


Yeah, the two sites have been at odds for quite some time. I guess I know why now. It's really rather unfortunate.

Looks similar to general populations:

Almost one in ten Canadians (8.7%) reported the use of sedatives or tranquilizers in the past year, while only 0.5% of users (representing 0.05% of the total population) reported the use of sedatives for the experience, the feeling they caused, or to get high. The use of stimulants in the past year was reported by 1.0% of Canadians. The rate of abuse of stimulants is not reportable.

[emphasis added]

Source:www.hc-sc.gc.ca...

Valium is fairly mild IF taken as prescribed. My father can keep a prescription full of valium for years and only take one under extreme stress.

This is well known occurrence for what like a century now?

Admittedly, they do the job if one feels an anxiety attack is coming on.but i do without them myself. Interestingly enough, ive never taken any drugs aside from aspirin.

reply to post by usmc0311


"I will never forgive the government for the things I have been through"

Like what, I am just curious as a person who supports our troops no matter what, unlike some others here at ATS.

Send me a U2U if you need to.

reply to post by speculativeoptimist

Several years ago, I got the impression that if a person has taken anti-depressants(not just diagnosed) they were ineligible for enlistment.

It really depends. Typically, recruiters tend to not mess much with people who are being treated by psychiatric medications. Waivers must be issued for that sort of thing, and they are few and far between. Recruiters will usually choose to focus on applicants who are all but guaranteed to clear MEPS.

The reason for the control on it is, mostly, to ensure you don't have 'free radicals' running around in a training environment with uncertain histories.

The military is like that with a lot of things. Broken bones can disqualify you from service or certain communities within the service - but soldiers return to active duty having undergone amputations (some even in a forward deployed role).

Once you are in the community - they will retain you for quite a few things because they have a solid record on you.

Of course - for every story of retention, there are three to five stories of the military turning people away for mild issues. One female I know was getting dropped from deployment and basically 'shaken off' because of a form of scoliosis that was discovered several years into her career.

It's kind of hit and miss. The bureaucracy works in mysterious and inconsistent ways.

It made me wonder, even more, what the heck is in those pills that would make the service shun an applicant.

It's not the pill so much as it is the condition that it's treating. Can you function without that medication?

If you're in the #-storm, you may go a day without eating and have all of five minutes to pack for two weeks of field ops with no warning. That goes back to the history of a service member. People who are broken on a psychiatric level are usually discharged with compensation. People who merely need it to return to a more normal or enjoyable life are not what the concern is about (though, typically, I find the military lifestyle to be rather stress-free; the non-combat roles, at least. A steady paycheck combined with housing, food, community, and exercise... very powerful hedges against depression.

Originally posted by mee30
reply to post by usmc0311

 

Can i just ask you something? Did you not know that you were going in and attacking another country that had done nothing to your own? Please I don't want to come across as though I'm attacking you. I just genuinely want to understand why soldiers go to a war most other people know is unjustified and immoral.

Couldn't you have just told them to stick it? Couldn't you of refused?

I do want to commend you for doing the right thing now though and I'm glad you got off the drugs and are feeling better for it.

Please forgive me for interjecting my own personal answer, as I know you meant to ask another member.

Some people don't know, or have never experienced this; other refute it as irrelevant; but their is such a thing as a "warrior culture" and frankly, those who have lived it understand that it is not the serviceman's place to question whether a military deployment is, or is not "just."

This is a powerful generalization, and the more egregious the circumstances, the more likely it is that there will be some form of resistance from within. But disobeying an order to go into an area and securing it; or defending a position and holding it is not something that command 'justifies' to the soldiers themselves.

Sure, you can always tell them no...but those who do so are not only breaking their promise, their word, that they will serve obediently and loyally; they are also endangering all the other comrades in arms who depend on them to do as they are told. Also they are breaking the law. You had best me more than casual about any decision you make to disobey the orders you are given. It's quite a dishonor... and worse still, the media loves to eviscerate such people who - rightly or not - the military tells them are criminally disobedient. This is why the military has it's own judicial system - it is not swayed by public opinion, political theater, or media theatrics - again this is a generalization.

For all rules there are exceptions. But generally speaking, no one is interested if someone within the ranks of the troops objects to their orders.... theirs is to comply... not make policy.

Commissioned officers have it a little better... at least they can resign their commission (quit)... enlisted folks just get to go to jail... or worse.