Jim Elbrecht wrote:
" wrote:

HeyBub wrote:

-snip-
Conversely, a significant percentage of Viet Nam veterans returned from Asia
addicted to Heroin. Virtually all kicked the habit on their own.
Virtually all? You have got to be kidding...changed drugs, maybe.

I went out googling to show Heybub how wrong he was-- and damned if he
aint right again.g

I was a Marine in VN in 1969 & 70 and never saw heroin or opium. Saw
lots of kick-ass pot and an amphetamine called 'Obesital'.

But I guess I wasn't far enough in the rear- or far enough south- or
was the wrong color green;
http://www.bookrags.com/research/vie...study-edaa-03/
[regarding a study of soldiers returning from VN in 1971]
"Almost half (43%) of the army enlisted men had used heroin or opium
in Vietnam, and 20 percent had been addicted to narcotics there.
Second, only a tiny proportion (12%) of those addicted in Vietnam
became readdicted in the year after return (Robins et al., 1974).
Follow-up again two years later showed that this low rate of
readdiction continued (Robins et al., 1980)."

I don't think many programs can boast an 88% success rate long term.

Jim
2.6 million served there, so, using your numbers, about 1,118,000 used
heroin or opium. If 20% of those were addicted, the number is 223,000
or thereabouts. I don't for a minute believe that only 20% of
heroin/opiate users became addicted OR that only 12% were "readdicted"
(whatever that is) in the year after their return. Half probably lied
to whomever did the study, and most addicts don't even admit addiction
to themselves. Then one considers the addicts who merely change
chemicals when supplies aren't available. Amazing numbers of bad backs
are cured when addicts are in recovery; a few discover when they are
sober that they have a bad back, not noticed prior because they
self-medicated )

Wonder how drug use affects PTSD rates...either more mellow or dead?
Iraq is not Viet Nam, but a heck of a lot of vets are coming back with
loads of trouble.