Introduction to the Special Issue: Drugs, Wars, Military Personnel, and Veterans

Abstract

This special issue examines major structural, sociocultural, and behavioral issues surrounding substance use and misuse among US military personnel and veterans who served in recent military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This introduction provides a brief historical review of the US's experiences of the linkages between war and substance use, misuse, and abuse. It then describes how the various topics covered in this issue span the military-veteran life course and explains the significance of each contribution.

Keywords :

• drugs
• war
• alcohol
• military personnel
• veterans
• history
• Iraq
• Afghanistan