War kills a lot of people. But we have another type of  casualty that is also ruining lives - drug addiction. According to a recent article, drug addiction is now rampant among military personnel; many of whom just returned from active duty in Iraq. One treatment center - Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs, Colorado - went from treating no active duty soldiers for substance abuse before the war to between 30 and 40 now. An earlier report said that some military bases are contracting with non-military drug rehab facilities to keep up with the demand for help.

One solider told reporters, “The nightmares were killing me from being over there. The pain was so bad I didn’t want to deal with it. Well, amphetamines is a real quick way to get rid of it,” Hartmann said. “I was snorting it, and I was smoking it, and then I was hot railing it, and then I got to the point where I was actually injecting it in my arms.”

Another said “Right when we got back, there were people using cocaine in the barracks; there were people smoking marijuana at strip clubs; one guy started shooting up.”

It’s going to take a great drug rehab program to get these guys turned around after their traumatic experiences. A similar thing happened with Vietnam vets. It’s not easy to watch and participate in such devastation – especially when you find out that the reasons behind the war were false. Let’s hope Colorado drug rehab programs can help.

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