Photo By Sgt. Keenan Zelazoski | Camp Pendleton hosted an alcohol and drug abuse prevention program for service members...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Marines with Headquarters Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, gathered in a classroom to take part in a Prime for Life 4.5 course and talk through strategies for avoiding alcohol-related incidents aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Feb. 11, 2016.
The course is 4.5 hours long and targets service members between 17-25 years old, the “at risk” population. The instructors provide selective techniques for prevention and intervention of potential incidents and high-risk behavior. The program is evidence-based, so the methods taught are founded on the statistics regarding alcohol and drug-related events.
“This program’s purpose is to educate our military members on substance abuse and to give them guidelines to use to make better choices based on real [statistics of] how these substances affect us,” said Nancy Shell, a drug and alcohol prevention specialist with the Camp Pendleton Substance Abuse Counseling Center. “We focus on the choices in this course and encourage individuals to make low-risk decisions.”
The program also emphasizes self-assessment, which provides guidance to individuals on how to better understand and accept the need to change personal behaviors. This is rooted in the idea that before Marines, Sailors or anyone can help others, they must first determine if help is needed themselves.
“The military is filled with people from all different types of backgrounds who may not have been taught the basics [about] these substances,” Shell said. “All they might know is, ‘Hey this is fun. I like this.’ With this course, we give you the facts and the tools to realize what these things can do and then you can determine if you’re at risk.”
One of the defining aspects of the course as a whole is the intent for service members to personalize the topics discussed. Marines like Sgt. Maj. William T. Sowers, the 1st Marine Division sergeant major, reflected on the messages given during the course and shared his personal thoughts with his fellow Marines.
“As a battalion sergeant major, I’ve lost four Marines in combat and, as a first sergeant, I’ve lost a lot more than that and it’s never easy,” Sowers said. “It’s a shame when we have to let someone’s wife know they lost their husband because of their own actions.”
“We have all seen people fall into that trap,” he continued. “Take what you have learned today and not only put yourself on the right path, but help those you know who need to hear it.”
After the conclusion of the course, Marines were allowed to give their own feedback on how the course impacted them.
“I would definitely recommend this to my peer group especially,” said Lance Cpl. Samuel Welch, an intelligence specialist with the division. “I didn’t know any of the facts about what alcohol can do to you, so I liked that I was getting new information. It was engaging though so I wasn’t bored, and we got to give our opinions. That was probably the best part.”
Drug and alcohol-related accidents have taken their toll on the Marine Corps and on society at large, but the Marine Corps offers an abundance of resources and continues to focus on improving its reach toward those personnel with the highest risk. Marines who recognize substance abuse problems in themselves or others can call the comprehensive help line at (800) 342-9647 or visit militaryonesource.mil
| Date Taken: | 02.11.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.18.2016 16:36 |
| Story ID: | 189207 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Blue Diamond is Prime for Life, by Cpl Demetrius Morgan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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