The Army Substance Abuse Program
AR 600-85 establishes the Army Substance Abuse Program: prevention, drug testing, self-referral, and command referral. It is the regulation behind unit urinalysis and the limited use policy. Leaders need to know the difference between a self-referral and a command referral before a Soldier asks.
Open the official record- Type
- AR
- Edition verified
- October 2024
- Used in
- LeadershipStaff & Admin
What to take from it
- Covers prevention, education, testing, and rehabilitation for alcohol and drug abuse.
- Establishes command and unit responsibilities for the biochemical testing program.
- Distinguishes self-referral, command referral, and medical referral pathways.
- The limited use policy restricts how certain self-disclosed information may be used against a Soldier.
These points are our summary, written for recall. They are not a substitute for the publication and they will not cover everything a board can ask. Read the source.
Board questions from this publication
What is the purpose of the Army Substance Abuse Program?
To strengthen readiness by preventing alcohol and other drug abuse, identifying Soldiers who need help early, getting them into treatment, and restoring them to duty when they can perform. It is a command program, not a medical program that runs itself.
AR 600-85
What are the ways a Soldier can enter the Army Substance Abuse Program?
Self-referral, command referral, medical referral, and identification through drug testing or an investigation. Self-referral is the route the Army pushes hardest, because a Soldier who asks for help before there is an incident gets certain protections that a Soldier identified after the fact does not.
AR 600-85
What is the limited use policy?
It restricts how the Army may use certain protected information a Soldier provides in connection with substance abuse treatment, such as a voluntary self-referral or information developed during treatment. That information generally may not be used against the Soldier in a court-martial or as the basis for a characterization of discharge. It does not protect a Soldier from the consequences of independently discovered misconduct.
AR 600-85