Do you know the one that is one too many?
National Alcohol Screening Day® on April 9, 2009
Parties , happy hour at the bar around the corner…
Pressures to drink are everywhere. For many people, it can be hard to know how much is too much and when the line is crossed between the use and abuse of alcohol.
Approximately four in five college students drink alcohol, and about two in five engage in binge drinking – defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row for men and four or more in a row for women- according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Binge drinking can put people at risk for many serious problems, ranging from car crashes to date rape, but even mild and moderate alcohol consumption can have harmful consequences on social relationships and your health.
In an effort to address excessive drinking, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Orange County/Community Alliance Network is promoting National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD). NASD is a one-day education and screening event designed to raise awareness on how alcohol affects health, help people evaluate their alcohol use; and provide referrals to local treatment and support resources for those who need further evaluation.
As part of the screening day event, people can take an anonymous on-line survey at alcoholscreening.org, and access educational information on the dangers of alcohol abuse, and seek referrals of locations that offer one-on-ones with a health professional.
“Many people are unaware of when to draw the line between the use and abuse of alcohol. The focus of National Alcohol Screening Day is to give the community the facts they need to figure out how much is too much and how alcohol is affecting their lives. Most people drink responsibly, but too many do not realize the potential costs of at-risk drinking, the signs of alcohol poisoning, or how even a moderate amount of alcohol can interact with common medications and affect their everyday lives.
National Alcohol Screening Day is a program of the non-profit Screening for Mental Health® (SMH). For additional information about alcohol or the screening program, visit http://www.nationalalcoholscreeningday.org
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Submitted By Gwen Drenick, Melissa Belluz
