Education: Using alcohol responsibly

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jose L. Hernandez
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment program is scheduled to host the National Alcohol Screening Day, an anonymous self-assessment of alcohol use, at the Exchange here April 28.

Staff Sgt. Jessica Delgado, 5th Medical Operations Squadron ADAPT non-commissioned officer in charge, explained Airmen seeking feedback on their use of alcohol, and its potential dangers, are encouraged to attend.

"Airmen who want to know if they are drinking more than the average or to a hazardous extent can complete an anonymous self screening test and be provided feedback," said Sergeant Delgado. "Based upon the results of the assessment, recommendations will be offered."

Sergeant Delgado added it was important to educate Air Force Global Strike Command and Team Minot Airmen about the potential consequences of excessive alcohol use. Currently, one of ADAPT's main goals is educating the military and civilian community on base about responsible alcohol use, as well as providing necessary counseling services to those who become involved in alcohol-related incidents.

"While a majority of the people we provide services to are initiated through command-directed referrals, we do get people who come here on their own," said Sergeant Delgado. "Our hats go off to them because they have that courage to do so."

She explained binge drinking is prevalent in the Air Force, yet it is moreso a problem here at Minot Air Force Base. The state itself currently stands as the second leading state with the highest number of cases involving binge drinking.

"There is an array of reasons why Airmen choose to drink in excess," said Sergeant Delgado. "It can include anything from easing work stress, anger, emotional issues and even because of peer pressure."

She added that that younger Airmen often feel as though they do not have a lot of things to do around here, so they end up going to house parties, have drinks at the dorms or hang out with friends. This could potentially get them into trouble.

Capt. Jeffrey Smith, 5th MDOS ADAPT program manager, explained in this culture, underage drinking is already something that most people experiment with.

"A lot of Airmen are essentially equivalent to college aged students," said Captain Smith. "When they transition from a school or college setting and have major responsibilities placed on them, often they turn to alcohol as a stress reliever to cope with these issues."

The captain explained a lot is expected from Personal Reliability Program Airmen here and it is not uncommon for many of these first term Airmen to engage in underage drinking. He added these Airmen are held to a higher standard in performance capabilities and they are constantly being evaluated to ensure total success of the mission at large.

"We are always assessing reliability and judgment of PRP members," said Captain Smith. "When we have Airmen involved in child abuse and alcohol related incidents, their ability to be a part of the mission is always placed in jeopardy and their performance capabilities are placed into question."

Nonetheless, the captain explained what their program focused on was supporting education on responsible drinking, making responsible choices, and applying the wingman concept to keep Airmen on the lookout for one another.

"We've always strived to provide proper education and the counseling necessary to ensure the well-being of the base community," Captain Smith said.