Guideline G: Alcohol Consumption
Guideline G of the National Security Adjudicative Guidelines deals with problems arising from excessive alcohol consumption, leading to a security risk and compromising your security clearance eligibility. While alcohol is a legal substance for individuals over the age of 21, its abuse can be a cause for concern due to factors involving legal consequences, job suspensions and termination, family discord, and financial problems, and ultimately whether those problems impair someone’s judgment and ability to safeguard national security. Alcohol related incidents can occur in many different ways and areas of life, so it is important to make wise choices about when, where, and how much alcohol to consume.
Alcohol Consumption Concerns
Alcohol Abuse and Criminal Conduct
Alcohol abuse can lead to criminal consequences, most frequently in driving under the influence of alcohol (often referred to as DUI, DWI, OWI, or OUI) and domestic violence charges arising out of one or both parties being intoxicated. If a person is arrested for an alcohol-related charge or has a criminal charge where alcohol intoxication was a contributing factor, this can raise a concern about their ability to use sound judgment and protect national security information.
Alcohol and the Workplace
If alcohol consumption negatively affects your work, this raises a concern. Intoxicated or impaired conditions at work can be numerous: showing up to work under the influence, missing work due to drinking the night before, drinking while at work, or jeopardizing workplace safety due to alcohol use are all inappropriate and dangerous activities and may cost you not only your job, but your ability to gain or maintain a clearance.
Habitual or Binge Consumption
Drinking alcohol to and past the point of intoxication, especially on a daily basis, can create a security concern. This level of alcohol consumption can lead to blackouts or other alcohol-related memory loss and loss of inhibitions, which can cause impaired judgment and potentially to disclose information that should not be discussed publicly.
Alcohol Dependence or Alcohol Use Disorder
While not all problematic drinking qualifies as dependence or even a lesser alcohol use disorder, if someone is diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder, that raises security concerns. These diagnoses often come as a the result of court-ordered evaluations in criminal cases or as a result of voluntary treatment for out-of-control drinking. If you have a diagnosis from a mental health professional or other
Failing to Complete Alcohol Treatment
Failure to complete court-ordered or even voluntary alcohol treatment creates a security concern. This is both a concern under Guideline E for inability to follow rules and regulations, and under Guideline G due to the inability to abstain from alcohol.
Non-Criminal Consequences Related to Alcohol
Even where legal consequences are not involved, alcohol abuse can create other problems that demonstrate an inability to use sound judgment, such as financial hardship due to missed work or spending money on alcohol rather than rent, food, or necessary bills.
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Mitigating Alcohol Use Concerns
Time
Mitigating concerns about alcohol use usually requires a substantial period of time where the person abstains from alcohol or at least demonstrates a prolonged pattern of responsible drinking.
Successful Treatment
Attending and successfully completing an alcohol rehabilitation program can demonstrate a good faith effort to resolve alcohol concerns. Submitting to treatment for an alcohol use disorder is viewed positively in adjudication. Committing to rehabilitation programs, group counseling such as AA or Smart Recovery, taking medications that reduce the urge to drink, and establishing a relationship with a sponsor can all help to demonstrate acceptance of responsibility and at least the beginning of a change in circumstances. Additionally, a prognosis from a duly qualified medical professional that your maladaptive alcohol use has ceased and is unlikely to cause a problem in the future is helpful.
Compliance with Legal Requirements
If alcohol abuse has led to legal consequences, completing all terms of a court order or plea agreement can demonstrate mitigation. This usually involves completion of an alcohol evaluation and treatment, abstaining from alcohol for a significant time period, proving abstinence with testing protocols, and attending group counseling.
Responding to Alcohol Use Concerns in the Security Clearance Process
If you have a security clearance concern relating to alcohol, you should document everything related to your efforts to address the concern. The following can assist in convincing the government that the alcohol use concern has been addressed:
- Court documents showing compliance
- Proof of treatment completion
- Medical testing demonstrating abstinence
- Group or individual therapy attendance records
- Letters of support from a sponsor or other individuals familiar with your history
Hiring an Experienced Security Clearance Guideline G Attorney
Hiring a security clearance Guideline G attorney who is familiar with not only the adjudicative process but also the means to address alcohol-related issues is the most effective way to address alcohol concerns. Our firm has decades of experience with alcohol-related defense in both the security clearance industry and criminal defense. We have the resources and know-how to get your problem addressed and to convince the adjudicators that the concern has been mitigated. Contact us today for a free confidential consultation. Brian@LSAttorneys.com. 847-775-7701.
