Alcohol abuse weighs on Army
The Army needs to double its staff of substance-abuse counselors to handle the soaring numbers of soldiers seeking alcohol treatment, said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army’s No. 2 officer.About 300 more counselors are needed to meet the demand, cut wait times and offer evening and weekend services, Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff, said in an interview with USA TODAY.Last year, 9,199 soldiers enrolled in treatment after being diagnosed with alcohol problems, a 56 percent increase over 2003, when the Iraq war started, according to Army records released Monday. Overall, 16,388 sought some type of counseling, data show.In 2003, 5,873 enrolled in treatment from the 11,309 soldiers who sought...
