
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 25, 1993                   TAG: 9308250108
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

DRINKING STILL A PROBLEM IN MILITARY, STUDY SAYS

About one in seven people on active duty in the U.S. military drinks heavily, said a study that concludes years of trying to reduce the problem have largely failed.

The prevalence of alcohol abuse was about 15 percent, down significantly from 22 percent in 1980, the study said. Virtually all the change is due to a shift in the makeup of the armed forces, said Robert Bray, who directed the study for the Pentagon.

An influx of older, better educated people who are more likely to be married lowered the heavy drinking rate because such people are less prone to the problem, he said. Analysis showed that once their impact is removed from the statistics, heavy drinking rates have stayed virtually unchanged since 1980, Bray said.

- Associated Press

by CNB