Behavioural health outcomes in veterans compared to nonveterans by rural and urban areas in Alabama, 2015–2018

Abstract

Substance use is pervasive among United States military veterans. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 3.7 million military veterans were diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD), with 80.2% reporting alcohol misuse, 26.7% reporting illicit drug use and 7% reporting both illicit drug use and alcohol misuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). Within a military context, substance use may increase within specific contexts, such as increased illicit drug use upon discharge from active duty military service (as use during service is not tolerated; Seal et al., 2011). In addition, prior research found that