Many have called the War on Terror the “War of Terror” because it has taken the lives of over half a million civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is also having alarming health effects on U.S. troops. Veterans and troops who have seen combat in these wars are at a significant risk for becoming addicted to opioids — even more so than other members of the military who have not seen combat, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
The NBER study, titled, “Did the War on Terror Ignite the Opioid Epidemic?” found rates of opioid abuse are 7% higher in soldiers exposed to combat than those who were not.
The authors, Resul Cesur, Joseph J. Sabia and W. David Bradford conducted their study based on two others: the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health and the 2008 Department of Defense Health and Related Behaviors Survey. From the first study, they found that out of 482 male service members, 13% reported abusing prescription drugs. From the second study, they found that out of 11,542 service members who saw combat, 9% reported using pain relievers for non-medicinal use and .6% reported using heroin.