MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. - Marine and Family Services aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River will offer a new alcohol and drug awareness program for Marines called “PRIME for Life,” May 10-11.

One of the primary goals of the program is the prevention of alcohol or drug problems, according to http://www.primeforlife.org.
People who believe they have problems with alcohol and want help breaking their dependence should talk with their squadron’s substance abuse control officer and ask for help, said James Heath, Marine Corps Community Services drug demand reduction coordinator.

Staff Sgt. Dwayne King, Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 SACO, said the SACO is not there to judge Marines or get them in trouble. The SACO’s job is to provide Marines and sailors with information or start them in a program that would benefit them.

He added that the SACO’s door is always open and Marines should come talk to help prevent a problem before it starts.

The two-day course uses small-group discussions and statistic-based information to inform the participants of the hazards that alcohol and drug abuse can cause, said Heath.

The Marine Corps has a program in place called Building Alcohol Skills Intervention Curriculum, where non-commissioned officers can learn how to talk with their Marines about the dangers of binge drinking and drugs. The problem with the program was that some NCOs were taking the class but failing to speak with their Marines about it, said Heath.

PRIME for Life allows Marine Corps Community Services to inform Marines on all levels about dependency.

Binge drinking is classified as having five or more alcoholic beverages in one sitting. A drink is a shot of liquor, a pint of beer or a glass of wine, since there is the same amount of alcohol in all three, said Heath.

In 2009, more than six percent of Americans over the age of 12 stated they were heavy alcohol drinkers, according to http://www.usmc-mccs.org/subabuse/alcohol.

More than 60 percent of Marines are 17 to 25 years old, which puts them in the age demographic most in danger of substance abuse and getting in trouble because of alcohol-related incidents, said Heath.

PRIME for Life is being used in 48 states and does not use scare tactics to influence people like other programs. It uses statistics and facts to inform participants of the effect of alcohol in the body to deter people from overindulging, according to the program’s website.

They want to delay the age Marines start using alcohol, reduce the amount consumed in one sitting and prevent abuse before it even happens.

If anyone needs help or knows someone who may be dependent on alcohol or drugs, contact your squadron’s SACO.