Alcohol and Substance Use
Understand the function alcohol or substances are serving, and build healthier coping.
For many ADF members, alcohol or other substances become a way to manage stress, numb emotional pain, improve sleep, or cope with the intensity of service life. Substance use is also tied to culture and belonging. Sharing drinks after a long day, celebrating milestones, or bonding with your team over alcohol can become part of how connection, trust, and camaraderie are built. Over time, these cultural norms can make it difficult to recognise when use has shifted from a social ritual to a coping strategy. Substance use concerns may include:
How concerns may present
- Using alcohol to unwind
relying on drinking to switch off after work or to manage emotional overload.
- Escalating tolerance
needing more to achieve the same effect or noticing that use is creeping into more days of the week.
- Using to cope
drinking or using substances to manage anxiety, insomnia, loneliness, or memories you’d rather avoid.
- Impact on relationships or work
noticing tension at home, reduced performance, or feedback from others about your use.
Veteran-informed recovery, built around you.
Our clinicians understand that these behaviours often started as responses to environments that demand emotional suppression, constant readiness, and high levels of stress. Our clinicians help you:
- Understand the function that alcohol or substances are serving in your life.
- Develop healthier coping strategies, tailored to the way military personnel think and operate.
- Address underlying issues, such as trauma, moral injury, chronic stress, or sleep problems.
Our Wellbeing Clinicians
