KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- Alcohol abuse and misuse can affect a person both professionally and personally. To illustrate how these areas may be impacted, a former Wolfpack alumnus has graciously agreed to share his story with you. To maintain privacy we will call him Bill.

Bill's struggle with alcohol misuse began early in his career. His alcohol use quickly became abusive and began to cause him many problems in his personal life to include a divorce as a young man. His wife asked him many times to cut back on his alcohol use until eventually, after many years of begging, she left him with their two children. He continued to use alcohol and his use progressively got worse. As a young staff sergeant, he had his first alcohol related incident. He recalls his inappropriate and disrespectful behavior toward his first sergeant and feeling he was out of control. However, did not stop drinking. Despite his continued use of alcohol, he was able to maintain a level of duty performance, which aided him in hiding the level of his alcoholism. As he achieved rank he moved into a position of leadership. As the superintendent of his local Airman Leadership School, Bill remembers many occasions fellow Airmen would take him home after heavy drinking and often covered for him when he was late to work, supporting his continued alcohol use.

Bill eventually stopped drinking for a period of time prior to reporting to Kunsan AB. However, he resumed his drinking habits while on the flight to Korea. Within a few months of being stationed at Kunsan, his drinking escalated to a dangerous level. After a night of heavy drinking in A-town, Bill woke up the next morning in an unknown local hotel, naked and unable to remember any of the events of the prior evening. He quickly came to the realization he spent his house payment during his drinking escapade and had to contact his father in the U.S. to borrow money for his mortgage. Although Bill was becoming more aware of his problems, he resisted help and continued to drink excessively, leading to another alcohol related incident of a curfew violation. As a result, Bill, now a senior master sergeant was punished. This was the turning point for Bill and realized he needed help.

Bill was able to identify various lessons learned including how irresponsible drinking can impact relationships. He had a very strained relationship with his ex-wife and children and his current marriage was hanging by a thread. He also saw how alcohol misuse/abuse can impact career choices. Although he worked toward making Chief, he was unsuccessful because of the alcohol related problems. Bill also noted that co-workers looked at him with disappointment and realized his decision to continue abusing alcohol impacted his ability to take care of the people who were dedicated to working for him. Bill's new view of the wingman concept emphasized the importance of holding people accountable for their behavior.


I hope Bill's story helps you see how alcohol, if not used responsibly can be detrimental to your life/career. Now I'd like to give you some tidbits regarding alcohol.

· The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has outlined responsible drinking habits as the following:

· Men should not consume more than 4 servings of alcohol per sitting and no more than 14 per week
· Women should not consume more than 3 servings in one sitting and no more 7 per week.
· Studies have shown drinking more than the recommended servings of alcohol can impact social behavior and cause long term physical effects.

· A serving size of alcohol is as follows:
· 1 12 oz domestic beer
· 1.5 oz of 80% or less liquor
· 5 oz table wine
· 8 oz malt liquor
· ½ shot of Soju

· Warning signs of problematic drinking--do you:
· Wake up with a hangover- report to duty with a hangover
· Get intoxicated to the point of vomiting
· Have trouble remembering events that involved drinking
· Have friends who voice concerns regarding your alcohol use or behavior while drinking
 · Spend a majority of off duty time using alcohol
· Spend large amounts of money on alcohol
· Have friends "take care of you" while under the influence
· Have inappropriate sexual relationships while under the influence
· Spend a great deal of time thinking about alcohol
· Use alcohol to deal with stress, sadness, or to relax
· Use alcohol to go to sleep
· Use more alcohol than you intended
· Neglect responsibilities due to your alcohol use
· Ever feel you need to cut back on your alcohol consumption

If you answered yes to any of the statements above and/or find you are drinking more than the recommended amount, please contact us. We are here to help. We encourage people to seek help early so as not to jeopardize their AF careers. Keep in mind your individual responsibilities, so that you may take care of your loved ones, the Air Force, and the Wolfpack, and not fall into the trap that Bill did.