Patterns of Drug Use and Attitudes Toward Treatment in a Military Population

A population of 747 functioning military personnel was surveyed at an army installation in the United States to determine previous use of illicit drugs and associated attitudes toward treatment. Based on self-reported drug use, seven subgroups with distinct patterns were delineated and statistically compared. Demographic distinctions among these subgroups were frequently pronounced, as were prevailing attitudes toward traditional medical and psychiatric treatment of drug abuse. These distinctions have obvious implications in planning and conducting drug abuse prevention, treatment, and educational programs.