Doctors behind a new study say Britain's military has been too lax for too long about hazardous binge drinking by soldiers.

The report says three times proportionately more men and nine times more women in Britain's armed forces drink dangerous amounts of alcohol than in the civilian population, The Telegraph reported Saturday.

“The military is ambivalent about alcohol, when you contrast it with their view on drugs, where it seen as an offense and is prosecuted," said Simon Wessley, from the Center for Military Health Research at King’s College London.

The report warns military personnel are drinking in a way that is “detrimental to their health, the safety of themselves, their colleagues and wider operational effectiveness”.

The report warns the problem is worse among women in the military who try to fit in with their male colleagues by matching their drinking habits.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International


Publication date: 05 November 2007   

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