A theoretical approach to understanding alcohol misuse in military personnel returning home from Operation Iraqii (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)

This theoretical thesis explores the misuse of alcohol in military personnel who are returning home from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study focuses on what occurs to these soldiers upon their return home, as they try to manage their experiences of combat while continuing to fulfill their duties as soldiers, sailors, Marines, airman, and guardians. The comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which sometimes result from traumatic memories and experiences of the Middle East, and the misuse of alcohol which some returning soldiers use as an acceptable tool for numbing symptoms of PTSD are explored in this thesis, the vicious cycle of PTSD and alcohol misuse are examined through the use of systems theory and the theories of PTSD which help to explain the role that systemic pressures to uphold military values has upon the actions and choices of the military personnel under discussion