It is RCG policy that claims for alcoholism or other diseases arising out of the habitual consumption of alcohol or illicit drugs should not be entertained.
Habitual consumption of alcohol is not and never has been an ADF employment related factor. Excessive c — onsumption of alcohol has no nexus with ADF employment. It is not something that the employer required the employee to do, nor is it reasonably incidental to such employment.
Furthermore, the ADF prohibits and penalises the consumption of alcohol in the workplace, actively discourages over-indulgence in alcohol and those programs of discouragement are of long standing.
However, where a person has a diagnosable addiction to alcohol or illicit drugs as a result of a service related incident (such as witnes — sing a traumatic event on service) or other service caused factor (including for example an accepted condition such as PTSD), that condition is a disease and provided the evidence meets the appropriate standard of proof may be accepted so long as it can b — e shown that the alcohol or drug consumption was not of the client's own free will. This would be a medical question. This would usually be determined as a sequela.
Addiction to alcohol or drugs as a condition may only be accepted if there is a definite c — ausal link to service, for example, witnessing a traumatic event and there is evidence to show that the claimant did not exercise free will in the consumption of alcohol or illicit drug to the point of addiction. Addiction to alcohol or drugs purely as a r — esult of consumption of alcohol or drugs during service alone will never result in a claim being accepted.