"As an officer in the Ukrainian Marine Corps, I had a very good position - under my command there were over 200 people, with whom we conducted many successful operations. But I lost everything because of drug use", Dmitry admits to DW. He is currently a patient in one of the rehabilitation clinics. He was dismissed from the Ukrainian army due to drug addiction.
It all started with taking painkillers after receiving two injuries. The wound on his leg did not heal for a long time, which is why they put drains in him and injected him with painkillers. “They made me feel very good. And when I was discharged and returned to my unit, I got worse and worse. Then I started using pregabalin (a medication used for nerve pain and anxiety disorders – ed.), and later switched to methadone. I started with two or three tablets, until I reached a point where I could no longer control anything“, says Dmitry.
Psychotherapist: "Drugs are a cry for help"
Dmitry's case is not surprising. It is precisely self-medication that is one of the reasons for the development of drug addiction among soldiers in wartime, note the authors of a study commissioned by the “Healthy Decisions“ charity foundation. “It often starts with self-medication because of the conditions they find themselves in. They are looking for an effective means to control the pain because they have to return to their combat tasks“, explains to DW the executive director of the foundation Victoria Timoshevskaya.
Dmitry, for his part, says that the desire to forget what they experienced at the front also pushes them to take psychoactive substances. – War - these are severed arms, legs, stench... This is a very difficult emotional state.”
Fatigue and exhaustion
Psychotherapist Ihor Alferov works with fighters from the assault brigades. Looking at their files, the psychotherapist realizes that the incentive for drug use is not only the fear of death - often family problems also play a role. “Many have families abroad. And spouses sometimes stop getting along. She plans to stay in Europe because she sees prospects for her children there. And he is at the front in Ukraine, where he risks his life every day.“
The psychotherapist also talks about the fatigue and exhaustion of the fighters. Mobilization does not cover the needs of the front, there is no full-fledged demobilization and the soldiers remain on the front line for months, sometimes without rest or leave. “There is not a single army in the world that, in modern conditions, can fight for four years without rotation“, Alferov points out, adding that when commanders deny soldiers leave because there is no one to replace them, their sense of injustice increases.
According to Alferov, the military often cannot or does not know how to deal with all these circumstances. “Many people came to the army and became soldiers quite suddenly. Drugs are not their downfall – This is their cry for help.“
The use of psychostimulants and opioids among the military is growing
In the Ukrainian army, the use of psychoactive substances is strictly prohibited. But studies show that in the fifth year of the war, the use of psychostimulants and opioids by the military is growing - at least this is what the data of the “Healthy Decisions“ Foundation shows. “Probably over half of the people who are on the front line at the front have used such substances. It can be drugs, but also alcohol, and sometimes a combination of both or several active substances and alcohol“, explains to DW Victoria Timoshevskaya.
Dmitry's observations are that the military take drugs not while performing combat missions, but while they are on rest or in the rear between missions. But this is not a mass phenomenon, he emphasizes.
Psychotherapist Alferov also does not believe that there is mass use of psychoactive substances. But there are also cases in which soldiers take various substances during the performance of combat missions in order to be alert and have strength. “In these cases, the drug can increase strength tenfold, it allows you to be more concentrated, but this is only for a short time.“
However, even episodic drug use can have serious consequences, the psychotherapist warns - for example, developing acute paranoia, leading to hallucinations. In this situation, there is no way to survive on the front, the expert explains. “Those who start systematically using drugs naturally make various mistakes, often fatal, which can even lead to their death.“
Instead of punishment, professional help is needed
The military is forced to hide their addiction in various ways, as the fight against drugs is conducted with punitive measures: fines or filing lawsuits. Servicemen with addictions are dismissed from the army, in which case they lose all their salaries. And if it is established that drugs were present in the body when they were wounded or died, the compensation is also canceled.
Fighters rarely seek out doctors and psychologists in the army who could help them. "There is a very big stigma that seeking such help is a sign of weakness and inability to control themselves", says Victoria Timoshevskaya.
Dmitry does not think so - he hopes that he will be able to receive full treatment and return to service in the army. "Despite health problems, I would like to continue fighting until we win," he tells DW. According to him, drug testing should be introduced in the army once a month, which should be mandatory for everyone. His recommendation is to create a state specialized clinic for military personnel with this type of problem.
The problem is no longer just in the army
Psychotherapist Alferov is convinced that Ukraine should ask for help from foreign specialists who have treated military personnel who fought in other hot spots. And all experts unanimously say that the problem of addiction among military personnel should not be kept quiet and thought that it negatively affects the image of the army. In fact, it has already gone beyond the army and is increasingly becoming a problem for society.
The military leadership of Ukraine did not recognize the existence of an addiction problem in the army for a long time, and there were no assistance programs. Recently, a pilot project began to implement a program of state support for the military, which is fighting drug addiction. Experts hope that it will become comprehensive and multifaceted, since the solution to the problem may last longer than the war with Russia.
Author: Alexandra Indyuhova