Alcohol in the Military.. Advice?

I started drinking at 15, never too much just on weekends and party's. I did have a few incident's in my childhood when I was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning my freshman year of high school. However I've never considered myself an alcoholic. I joined the Marines Corps out of high school and I didn't drink for over a year. I got into the best shape of my life and was very happy. I was assigned to my permanent duty station and that was where my problems began to arise. Our unit is non-deployable, We are on one of the worst bases in the USMC, there is nothing within 2-3 days driving distance to do. Also our chain of command is just terrible. Our unit is known for being the place where career's die. Since getting here I started drinking alot, its been a year and I've already gotten in trouble legally for it and its effecting me physically at work. Over the past year of being here I haven't been able to go more than a week without drinking. Everyone I live, work and play with drinks pretty heavily. I know quitting is the best option but given my circumstances and living in the barracks with everyone it seems about impossible, even with all the problems its caused me the idea of quitting forever seems pretty scary. All my friends here say I just need to cut back and that's what I would like to do, but my attempts always seem to fail. I don't want to stop drinking but i know I would be better off. Nobody wants me to stop and they make it hard whenever I try as the majority of marines here are functioning alcoholics. I can't just get rid of them either as I spend more time with these people than my actual family back home. I just feel disgusting drinking so much every day and am kind of in the dumps right now..Advice?

I'm not sure how the "personal issues" support works in the military, but there must be a chaplain's office or some medical command you can contact:
https://www.realwarriors.net/active/tre ... labuse.php
Reaching out for help when you have a problem that you find is too big for you to handle is to be commended. It is difficult to admit defeat to drinking. I was in the same predicament in civilian life.
Asking for help was the best thing I've ever done. I felt a great sense of relief after I said that I couldn't handle it anymore. It saved my life and I was able to recover. It isn't easy to break a decades-long routine.
Alcohol is a big problem for any institution, military or otherwise. Instead of punishment, conventional wisdom tells us that if a team member comes asking for help, then they need compassion and are offered a chance to enter treatment. You guys are a team.
Life is never really easy, but it can get better. Alcohol worked great for me in the beginning, but then turned against me. That's when I found out that it wasn't that easy to quit. I tried quitting by myself, but failed miserably until I was able to reach out and be with other people also trying to quit drinking, one day at a time. There is strength in numbers.
I always thought that drinking was a personal problem and that I would take care of it myself. I found out that that way doesn't work very well. This is where AA really helped me.
I hope that you find your time serving in the Marines meaningful. Cherish these days, although you may not find them easy. There is help out there. Best of luck to you.

First thank you for your service. People who drink heavily like others to drink heavily also because it makes them feel better about themselves. You recognize that it is a problem and I'm not going to lie but it sounds like a rough situation and will require a lot of strength on your part . You say the prospect of quitting drinking is scary but you don't have to quit entirely. Your'e in the military so I know your capable and disciplined enough to take care of yourself. You say your post is "where careers die" and started drinking more to cope with your situation. Above all else drinking is not going to help you better your situation. You may feel like your in a dead end position but it's not the end of the road. Ending up in the unit you are now may have been out of your control but the trouble and legal issues you are getting it are on you. Don't let the current situation dictate your entire future. First and foremost getting this under control will be on you, there is help out there if you need but you have to be receptive to it in the first place. You know how much you drink, if it's possible to scale that back do so. If it's too difficult on your own seek help. The previous poster had some great advice. Your'e not going to be stationed where you are forever so do your best to get through it without harming yourself just like you would do in any other situation . Remember that your health and returning to your friends and family is the most important thing. If it begins to feel like too much there is a lot of help out there you just have to be willing to accept it.