Continuing its onslaught against alcohol and mix with drugs abuse in the military.

Continuing its onslaught against alcohol and mix with drugs abuse in the military, unsalable article and Alcohol Program Management Activity (DAPMA) San Diego started a Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) pilot program this spring.

The two-week, 80-hour program is aimed at training military members and DOD civilians forward the ins-and-outs of assessing and implementing felicitous drug and alcohol prevention programs within their commands.

"We be stirred the Navy has taken the lead in substance abuse prevention with this course," said LT Jason Holdeman, DAPMA's department head of training operations.

Following the DOD scrutinize of Health Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel inferences which suggests that military members between the ages of 18 and 25 are more likely to binge drink than their civilian counterparts, DAPMA lately graduated its first 20 prevention specialists. The scholars spanned three services, including Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, as well as DOD civilians.

CDR Maureen Alexander, DAPMA San Diego's officer-in-charge, said the close examiners learned that a military alcohol and unsalable article program is effective only if it's reinforced in the environment around the member.

"Prevention is a extremely dynamic thing," said Alexander. "You have to have many different things working for it to be effective."

Many military members and their families live in the surrounding civilian communities and are influenced by way of many of the factors in that community. The Navy realized this and incorporated civilian alcohol and physic experts from the San Diego area to help facilitate the class, ensuring that military members understand by what mode to deal with all aspects of alcohol and physic abuse prevention, and not just military policies.

Many of the learners have been involved with treatment programs or have been command counselors. For them, the gained knowledge will help them take a proactive approach instead of a reactive one

"I think that if we stop (alcohol and medicine abuse) before it happens, then we wouldn't make no use of a lot of manpower," said Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) (AW/SW) Milton Young, who is a substance abuse counselor in Yokosuka, Japan.

Holdeman said DAPMA has submitted a radical plan for CP to replace the programs it publicly teaches, such as the mix with drugs and Alcohol Program Advisor and Alcohol and put drugs into Abuse Leaders courses, by FY07

"If approved, CP will be the course, and the prevention specialists will then be able to proceed out and teach the courses DAPMA previously taught," said Holdeman, who is also a clinical psychologist.

The course is a big pace for Sailors to obtain certification as Certified Prevention Specialists, a certification that can be used when transferring to the civilian sector. DAPMA is also pushing for military pupils to receive college credits for the course.

While the regularity of the course has not been determined, Alexander said that DAPMA San Diego will shut up the course at least single more time this fiscal year.

Story through JO2 David Van Scoy, who is assigned to the public affairs office Navy Region Southwest.

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