Navy Giving Support to Personnel Struggling with Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Navy Giving Support to Personnel Struggling with Drug and Alcohol Addiction

The Navy is collaborating with Hazelden, a well-known addiction treatment center, to give online support for soldiers, their families and retired Navy personnel who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. The new $3.25 million dollar program is designed to keep Navy sailors in recovery and connects them to support programs around the world. The program is keyed mostly to younger sailors, who seem to at a greater risk for addiction and have no problem navigating the social networks and Internet websites.

The program, called Navy MORE, an acronym for My Ongoing Recovery Experience, was launched in August. It is estimated that 1,000 people will use the program in its first year of existence. The program was developed with Hazelden, a non-profit drug and alcohol treatment center based in Minnesota. The program is targeted to the 10,000 patients who receive treatment each year under the Navy’s Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Services program. The majority of patients are on active duty, though family members and retired personnel also receive treatment from the existing program.

"It’s patient-centered care," said Master Chief Michael P. Brown, a Navy recovery coach for the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes region and Hawaii. "We just assist them along the way."

A report in 2005 by the Department of Defense discovered that young military personnel under the age of 25 were more likely to drink heavily than their civilian friends. Seventeen percent of those in the Navy described themselves as heavy drinkers, though the report noted that illegal drug use has decreased in the Navy over recent years.

"One of the main reasons for relapse is the loss of that connectivity during early recovery," said Nick Motu, a vice president at Hazelden who was involved with the Navy MORE program. "We believe that if you can maintain a real solid recovery platform for the first 18 months, the chances of your success and long-term recovery are much higher."

The Navy MORE program will provide access to a virtual "recovery coach" who will help them manage their progress in recovery, an online library about addiction, and online support groups.

"They don’t have access to the traditional recovery communities that someone on the outside world would have," said Motu.

The Navy MORE program is free to active duty and retired sailors and their family members. The main benefits of the program are its immediacy and the ability to access resources online, anytime and anywhere a soldier is in the world.

Master Chief Michael P. Brown believes that the Navy MORE program provides a win-win situation for everyone involved.

"Everyone in life has their bumps. We’re here to assist them and we’re here to help them on their path."

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