Young adults in the military report substantially different patterns of substance use than their civilian counterparts, according to the most recent data from the Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Active Duty Military Personnel.

One-fourth of military young adults reported heavy alcohol use, compared to 17.4% of civilians. And 40% of military personnel reported smoking cigarettes in the past month, compared to 35.4% of civilians.

In contrast, the percentage of military personnel ages 18 to 25 reporting any illicit drug use in the past 30 days was less than one-half of that of civilians, suggesting that the “military environment discourages illicit drug use quite successfully.”

It is also possible, however, that military personnel are less likely to report illegal drug use in a survey.