drug use in the military

 discussed at StrategyPage

Wakefulness can be a potent weapon, especially for commandos or troops engaged in prolonged combat, like the Battle of Fallujah in 2004 and similar long-term and intense operations. Without these wakefulness drugs, you would have to either pull troops out of action so they could rest or leave them in and risk having them make fatal mistakes. Either way, you have a problem because there are never enough troops to get the job done. But with the wakefulness medications, you can solve the problem, for a few days, anyway.

Prolonged use of these drugs is not healthy. But neither is being drowsy during combat. 

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