subject: April Is Alcohol Awareness Month [print this page] April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, a declaration of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Institutes goal in April is to increase awareness of alcohol problems. To aid awareness, NIAAA instituted its first ever National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) on April 8, 1999. Since that time, National Alcohol Screening Day has been an annual event across the country to help identify and educate the public on the dangers of alcohol abuse, including binge drinking which is common among high school teens and college students.
Hospitals, health clinics, drug and alcohol rehab centers, schools, and military installations are among the many locations across the country where the public can participate in NASD. In- person screening and educational information can be accessed at participating locations the first week in April. For those who are unable or unwilling to participate in person, online screenings and anonymous self assessments are available at many sponsoring and participating websites.
Outreach to teens is especially important during this time of the year since alcohol use increases during teen proms and graduations. Many students often feel pressured to consume alcohol at these events, and they consume their first ever alcoholic beverage. Other students are familiar with drinking alcohol and indulge in binge drinking to get drunk. While the trend of teen drinking and driving has slowly decreased over the years, it is still responsible for claiming thousands of young lives every year. Effective awareness and alcohol abstinence programs in communities have included no drinking contracts signed by teens, displaying a wrecked automobile in which a teen was killed in an alcohol-related accident, and peer-presentations from students affected by alcohol or an alcohol-related accident.
The aim of National Alcohol Awareness Month is to increase awareness of alcoholism and alcohol misuse, the damage alcohol can cause, and the need for treatment. NIAAA estimates that 14 million adults in America meet the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Alcoholism is defined as dependency on alcohol, where without the alcohol the individual would experience physical withdrawal symptoms.
It is important for an individual struggling with alcoholism to seek professional treatment under the supervision of an experienced drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Self-detoxification is dangerous and can have serious consequences including death. Detoxification from alcohol should be managed by licensed medical and rehabilitation specialists. Drug and alcohol rehab centers that focus on the physical, psychological, and neurological reason or reasons why an individual is abusing alcohol are ideal treatment centers for alcohol abuse. With the right diagnosis and treatment program, an individual can make a full and sustainable recovery.
