Ex-soldier sounds alarm on America's flawed veteran support and depression crisis on Joe Rogan's podcast
Evan Hafer criticized the United States Veteran Affairs Department's inadequate measures to help the armed forces veterans cope with the after-effects of their service. In the United States, the instances of veteran suicides and their struggles to lead normal lives have been on the rise in recent years. Additionally, many claim that the dependence on prescription drugs, which is a part of the opioid crisis, has worsened the situation.
In a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that aired on Nov. 15, Hafer, a United States Special Forces veteran, told Joe Rogan about his peers' struggles:
"We as a subculture from the global war on terror community, the veterans, we're under an epidemic of suicide and depression. The VA [Veteran Affairs department] has not been a help to us."
Hafer highlighted that the veterans who have fought overseas wars have witnessed unimaginable horrors on duty which has a catastrophic impact on their neurological, physical, and mental health. However, the support system does not help them adequately to deal with the aftermath:
"We come back, and within the VA system, there answer is, 'Here's your pills, here's your retirement. Shut the f*** up.' And it's not working."
He said that prescription medication offers little to no long-term relief and highlighted an alarming side of the veterans' lives after their service:
"This is a part of the issue. We are under an epidemic of veteran suicides, more so than we ever have... And the worst thing about this too is that it's affecting our family and our kids. Our kids are four times [more likely] to commit suicide than our peers are at."
Check out Evan Hafer's comments below (28:20):
Evan Hafer tells Joe Rogan that veterans are forced to leave the United States to get the right treatment
Evan Hafer stated that some veterans witnessed significant health improvement after Ibogaine-assisted treatment in Mexico. According to him, the therapy eliminated their reliance on medication and in many cases, it produced miraculous effects.
However, Ibogaine, a psychoactive alkaloid found in the plants of Apocynaceae family, is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the USA. Therefore, its use is not permitted for any treatment or therapeutic purposes.
Continuing further, Hafer questioned the policy and expressed his disappointment with the difficulties veterans face in getting the treatment:
"You have something that has such a proven track record to help heal vets. And we can't do that without breaking the law. We have to leave the country [to get the Ibogaine-assistedrtreatment]? It's insane..." [30:35]
He added:
"You can send me to Iraq under false pretenses and you can have this orchestra of these f***ing idiots like [Paul] Wolfowitz and [Dick] Cheney and [Donald] Rumsfeld send us all to Iraq... We can go fight the wars, come back and now we have to break the law to go fix what's wrong with our heads and emotions and not only our psychology... We're broken. W've been beat up and showed in the closet... and then we're sedated and told to shut the f*** up." [30:50]
Hafer feels disappointed that the United States is not leading the charge in coming up with "out-of-the-box solutions" to help those who risk their lives to serve the country. He hopes to see a change in the situation in the foreseeable future.