An Outreach Approach to Facilitating the Transition from Military to Civilian Life: A Critical Choice Point for the Drug Dependent

Abstract

This paper describes experience with an exciting new form of service that can be offered at a crisis or transition point in the client's life: re-entry into his home community. An application of crisis theory, the approach utilizes outreach methods rather than regular institutional contacts.

The transition between military life and return home presents acute dilemmas for returnees, particularly those who adopted new patterns of alcohol or drug use. Drug use may have filled a need during military service, but may pose new problems at home. Correspondingly, the brief transitional period of re-entry presents some degree of crisis and decision for new veterans. (A crisis refers to special new demands or pressures whose immediate resolution lie beyond the client's usual repertoire of responses or skills.)

This paper presents the rationale, design, and objectives of a re-entry program utilized with 83 men returning from Southeast Asia, many of whom had been exposed to heroin. The paper does not describe the nature of our clients' drug problems or an evaluation of program effectiveness, both of which will be presented in a subsequent publication. Rather, its focus is on the operational problems encountered, for the ability to anticipate such difficulties would be an asset to those contemplating the establishment of comparable programs.