GreenLantern330
Active Member
Thanks. I still have a little over a year till I get my degree, so I guess I'll just have to ask my OR again and weigh my options before applying.
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Is there gouge on the drug waiver issue?
- Thread starter buzni
- Start date
A
AlexSmart
Guest
This is the gouge I got from my recruiter a couple weeks ago:
"Drug waiver is done as part of the application process. Not sure why they call it that really. Here is the paraphrased version from the RECRUITMAN, our governing instruction: as long as you have not been addicted, physically, or psychologically dependant, been a trafficker, abused narcotics, abused dangerous drugs, abused marijuana within the last year waiver will be granted for non-nuclear field officer applicants as part of the normal application process (no form is required - the required expanded explanation on the application for commission form is sufficient. English translation: don't worry about the waiver, if they hire you it is a done deal"
I am in the same boat as a lot of people here; I fiddled with pot a handful of times early in college during parties with my boys on the team and just decided it was a waste of time.
On the other hand, it seems like MEPS is really cracking down on alcohol consumption. The medical history questionnaire asks about your consumption, and mind you, the answers available are limited and do not really follow the previous questions. Anyways, I usually have a beer or glass of wine with dinner, go maybe once a weekend, and have 6+ drinks in one day like once a month. Policy required me to have a psych exam, and surprise surprise I eventually got PDQ'd by MEPS.
I've never had a drinking problem or any addiction (obviously partied in college, but not any more or less than the general 18-23 population), but for whatever reason my answers got me popped.
Both my recruiter and I are confident this whole thing will get waived by MEDWAIVE, but this was a real pain. The advice I always got was just be honest about everything during this process because I have no problems and nothing to hide, and even to this day I still believe this is the way to go.
I am not writing all of this for people to consider lying about alcohol at MEPS, I would just like people to know that this should not be a surprise if they go through the same thing. I understand the Navy has a valid reason to be concerned about alcohol abuse within their ranks, however, the current process could potentially disqualify a lot of perfectly healthy and responsible applicants (myself included).
"Drug waiver is done as part of the application process. Not sure why they call it that really. Here is the paraphrased version from the RECRUITMAN, our governing instruction: as long as you have not been addicted, physically, or psychologically dependant, been a trafficker, abused narcotics, abused dangerous drugs, abused marijuana within the last year waiver will be granted for non-nuclear field officer applicants as part of the normal application process (no form is required - the required expanded explanation on the application for commission form is sufficient. English translation: don't worry about the waiver, if they hire you it is a done deal"
I am in the same boat as a lot of people here; I fiddled with pot a handful of times early in college during parties with my boys on the team and just decided it was a waste of time.
On the other hand, it seems like MEPS is really cracking down on alcohol consumption. The medical history questionnaire asks about your consumption, and mind you, the answers available are limited and do not really follow the previous questions. Anyways, I usually have a beer or glass of wine with dinner, go maybe once a weekend, and have 6+ drinks in one day like once a month. Policy required me to have a psych exam, and surprise surprise I eventually got PDQ'd by MEPS.
I've never had a drinking problem or any addiction (obviously partied in college, but not any more or less than the general 18-23 population), but for whatever reason my answers got me popped.
Both my recruiter and I are confident this whole thing will get waived by MEDWAIVE, but this was a real pain. The advice I always got was just be honest about everything during this process because I have no problems and nothing to hide, and even to this day I still believe this is the way to go.
I am not writing all of this for people to consider lying about alcohol at MEPS, I would just like people to know that this should not be a surprise if they go through the same thing. I understand the Navy has a valid reason to be concerned about alcohol abuse within their ranks, however, the current process could potentially disqualify a lot of perfectly healthy and responsible applicants (myself included).
Nope, it is a recommendation from the docs at MEPS based on your quick interview with the doc about your drug history. It will then go to DODMERB along with the rest of your physical and eventually to NAMI. Shouldn't be an issue unless it's something more than MJ or a LOT of MJ use (read: long-term, more than experimental).
I thought I'd add my two cents here, despite being new and inexperienced. I can only tell you what has happened to me.
I was recently pro req'd for Pilot and NFO. I still have to get a security clearance and my medical done.
I was told by many people "don't lie" so I answered yes to "illegal drug use." They wanted to know what kind of drug and exactly how many times. MJ. The number I gave was 15.
If I had said 9 or less, I could have gotten a waiver from the officer of the local recruiting station, and we could have moved on. Instead, my application got kicked up all the way to whoever the top brass of Navy Recruiting is, and he had to sign off on it. Along the way it passed by the desk of an O-5 who gave me a personal call on my cellphone to ask about it. Eventually, I got all of the signatures required for the waiver and my application went to QA. It passed QA, and as I said, I was selected for Pilot and NFO.
For those who are curious I did have a pretty solid application. I went to a good school (UVA) and got decent grades (3.1 GPA) and graduated with a B.S. in Computer Engineering. I don't know what my ASTB scores were, but they were quite good. I'm good at taking tests and got a perfect score on the SAT and near perfect on the GRE.
Also, keep in mind, I don't have a date for OCS yet, and I don't have a commission. Still a long way left to go.
I was recently pro req'd for Pilot and NFO. I still have to get a security clearance and my medical done.
I was told by many people "don't lie" so I answered yes to "illegal drug use." They wanted to know what kind of drug and exactly how many times. MJ. The number I gave was 15.
If I had said 9 or less, I could have gotten a waiver from the officer of the local recruiting station, and we could have moved on. Instead, my application got kicked up all the way to whoever the top brass of Navy Recruiting is, and he had to sign off on it. Along the way it passed by the desk of an O-5 who gave me a personal call on my cellphone to ask about it. Eventually, I got all of the signatures required for the waiver and my application went to QA. It passed QA, and as I said, I was selected for Pilot and NFO.
For those who are curious I did have a pretty solid application. I went to a good school (UVA) and got decent grades (3.1 GPA) and graduated with a B.S. in Computer Engineering. I don't know what my ASTB scores were, but they were quite good. I'm good at taking tests and got a perfect score on the SAT and near perfect on the GRE.
Also, keep in mind, I don't have a date for OCS yet, and I don't have a commission. Still a long way left to go.
I would judge that as "horse puckey advice". They never have and aren't starting now. The accession bar is moving rapidly upward…and won't be coming down anytime soon.
Them's my thoughts.
Thoughts: R1 is spot on. You should know better than to believe that, and you should also know better than to pass it on. Just read the threads here to see how selective the medical people are, and how difficult to get even minor medical issues waivered. With all the top quality candidates applying, why would they "take anyone"?
BzB
"Ahem"…although there was a time…a bad time…when they took both BzB and myself. It was a sellers' market...Thoughts: R1 is spot on. You should know better than to believe that, and you should also know better than to pass it on. Just read the threads here to see how selective the medical people are, and how difficult to get even minor medical issues waivered. With all the top quality candidates applying, why would they "take anyone"?
BzB
Here's hoping we don't go back there anytime soon…
Naval Aviation history will show... they could have done a lot worse than the infamous R1/BzB/Cat/RonDeb connections. The proof is in the post-strike BDA photos of places like Hong Kong, Yokosuka, Olongapo et al, after port calls. Ah, but that was long before the new prohibition/ breathalyzer, zero defect USN!
BzB
FormerRecruitingGuru
Making Recruiting Great Again
As for drug use, there are many variables. It depends on the drug that was used, instances it was used, and if there were any additional incidents (arrested for possession, etc.). These variables depend on whether a waiver is even needed, done at the NRD level, or at Navy Recruiting Command Level.
Statute of Limitations…Fifth Amendment…pick your poison. I have no idea what you may be talking about…Naval Aviation history will show... they could have done a lot worse than the infamous R1/BzB/Cat/RonDeb connections. The proof is in the post-strike BDA photos of places like Hong Kong, Yokosuka, Olongapo et al, after port calls. Ah, but that was long before the new prohibition/ breathalyzer, zero defect USN!
BzB
I wasn't there…you didn't see me…you can't prove it.
Aha, another lucky survivor of the Hook '91 'witch hunt'? The BDA photos don't lie!Statute of Limitations…Fifth Amendment…pick your poison. I have no idea what you may be talking about…
I wasn't there…you didn't see me…you can't prove it.
BzB
Sorry…that shit's still too close to home to even joke about. All lost something…some lost all.Aha, another lucky survivor of the Hook '91 'witch hunt'? The BDA photos don't lie!
BzB
mzmtg
CEC DCO Appplicant
My 2 cents:
I was honest with my recruiter about my MJ experimentation in college. I tried it about 7 times over the 5 years I was in school (>15 years ago). I had to fill out two "handwritten statements" on form NAVCRUIT 1133/78. One was to the circumstances of my drug use, any legal repercussions there may have been (none), and affirm that I do not condone illegal drug use. The second was a "why navy" statement on my motivations for applying (Basically, a short motivational statement). This was reviewed by the COC of my local NRD. I received a phone call from the XO of the NRD and we discussed my statements. The review of these documents was required for the NRD to forward my DCO application to the processor for QA.
About 3 weeks ago, my recruiter contacted me to inform me that someone at the "program management level" was not satisfied with the level of detail in my handwritten statement. I wrote another statement with more detail about the circumstances of my MJ experimentation. The first time, I had written that I tried it less than ten times over the course of my college career. The second time, I stated that it had been 7 times and each instance was isolated in a party type setting and never led to any habitual use.
As for hard numbers, I was told by my OR that less than 5 times required no waiver, less than 10 could be waived by the local NRD, and more than 10 would need to be signed off at the NRC level and that those waivers were not being granted these days. I do recall seeing an actual Navy reg that detailed this, but my Google-fu is weak this evening and I can't find it again.
Anyway, my app has not yet been reviewed by the board, so that data point shall remain null for the time being.
I was honest with my recruiter about my MJ experimentation in college. I tried it about 7 times over the 5 years I was in school (>15 years ago). I had to fill out two "handwritten statements" on form NAVCRUIT 1133/78. One was to the circumstances of my drug use, any legal repercussions there may have been (none), and affirm that I do not condone illegal drug use. The second was a "why navy" statement on my motivations for applying (Basically, a short motivational statement). This was reviewed by the COC of my local NRD. I received a phone call from the XO of the NRD and we discussed my statements. The review of these documents was required for the NRD to forward my DCO application to the processor for QA.
About 3 weeks ago, my recruiter contacted me to inform me that someone at the "program management level" was not satisfied with the level of detail in my handwritten statement. I wrote another statement with more detail about the circumstances of my MJ experimentation. The first time, I had written that I tried it less than ten times over the course of my college career. The second time, I stated that it had been 7 times and each instance was isolated in a party type setting and never led to any habitual use.
As for hard numbers, I was told by my OR that less than 5 times required no waiver, less than 10 could be waived by the local NRD, and more than 10 would need to be signed off at the NRC level and that those waivers were not being granted these days. I do recall seeing an actual Navy reg that detailed this, but my Google-fu is weak this evening and I can't find it again.
Anyway, my app has not yet been reviewed by the board, so that data point shall remain null for the time being.
I had a conversation with the squadron flight doc one time about a health assessment in which having more than 3 drinks in a night occasionally required you to go see the doc to talk about your "binge drinking"... He quickly dismissed the "binge drinking" and filled out the appropriate forms. I asked him why 90% of the command wasn't popping on this questionnaire (since most have more than 3 drinks at any squadron function), and he said it was because most people did not admit it on the questionnaire. We discussed how the PC risk averse Navy was causing people to "fudge" their numbers in order to avoid issues, but by doing so they were only solidifying the falsehood that a service member who had more than 3 drinks occasionally was unusual and a sign of a problem. It was his belief that only when everyone is truthful on such questionnaires that the standards for what is an unusual amount of drinking would fall in line with reality.