April is Alcohol Awareness Month

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence has designated April 2006 as the 20th Annual Alcohol Awareness Month.  Alcohol Awareness Month began in 1987 in an effort to reach the American public with information about the disease of alcoholism - that it is a treatable disease, not a moral weakness, and that alcoholics are capable of recovery.

The Chemical Dependency Center (CDC) is participating in Alcohol Awareness Month by highlighting the health risks associated with problem drinking and the importance of identification and intervention.  The CDC is partnering with Mecklenburg County Fighting Back, Substance Abuse Prevention Services, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program Administrators Association on a community-wide effort to highlight this year's theme, “A Call to Action.”  For more information, please visit HERE.  For a Calendar of Events (in PDF format) please click HERE.

The CDC will also participate in National Alcohol Screening day on Thursday, April 6, 2006.  For individuals who may not know how much is too much to drink or that the amount they drink puts them at risk for injury, illness, and possibly addiction, alcohol screening is very useful.  Screening has proven to motivate individuals to reduce drinking and to seek treatment and recovery.

Screening sites across the county will offer participants educational presentations, written screening questionnaires and the opportunity to consult with substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals. The following is a list of screening sites that will be offered on April 6th.

  • Chemical Dependency Center, 100 Billingsley Road, 9am - 6pm

  • Latin American Coalition, 4949 Albemarle Road, Suite B, 12pm - 2pm (screenings will be offered in both English and Spanish)

  • Johnson and Wales University, Dining Center, 11am-2pm

  • University of North Carolina at Charlotte, After Hours in the Cone Center, 11am-2pm

For questions or additional information, please contact the Chemical Dependency Center. 

How Can I Recognize An Alcohol Problem?

  • Drinking to calm nerves, forget worries or to boost a sad mood.
  • Guilt about drinking.
  • Unsuccessful attempts to cut down/stop drinking.
  • Lying about or hiding drinking habits.
  • Causing harm to oneself or someone else as a result of drinking.
  • Needing to drink increasingly greater amounts in order to achieve desired effect.
  • Feeling irritable, resentful or unreasonable when not drinking.
  • Medical, social, family, or financial problems caused by drinking.

Types of Alcohol Problems:

  • Alcohol Use Disorders include alcohol dependence (known as alcoholism) and alcohol abuse.1
  • Alcohol abuse is characterized by clinically significant impairment or distress but does not entail physical dependence.2
  • Alcohol dependence (alcoholism) is characterized by impaired control over drinking, tolerance, withdrawal syndrome when alcohol is removed, neglect of normal activities for drinking, and continued drinking despite recurrent related physical or psychological problems.3
  • Risky drinking includes drinking beyond moderate levels either on a regular basis or on a particular occasion.4

Who Has An Alcohol Problem?

  • Nearly 14 million Americans meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders.5
  • Approximately one-half of US adults report family history of alcoholism or problem drinking.6
  • An estimated 74% of current male drinkers and 72% of current female drinkers aged 21 and older at least once a year exceed guidelines for low risk drinking. 7
  • More than 18% of Americans experience alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence at some time in their lives.8

Harmful Effects of Alcohol

  • Economic costs to society are estimated at $185 billion annually for 1998.9
  • Harmful and hazardous drinking is involved in about one-third of suicides, one-half of homicides, and one-third of child abuse cases.10
  • Women overall drink less than men but are more likely to experience adverse consequences including damage to the heart muscle, liver, and brain trauma resulting from auto crashes, interpersonal violence, and death.11,12
  • Researchers have identified no safe threshold for drinking during pregnancy.13
  • Alcohol is frequently a factor in the three leading causes of death (motor vehicle crashes, homicides, and suicides) for 15 to 24 year olds.14

 

  • References

    1.        American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fourth Edition. 1994.

    2.        Ibid. APA 1994.

    3.        Ibid. APA 1994.

    4.        Higgins-Biddle JC and Babor TF. Reducing Risky Drinking: A Report on Early Identification and Management of Alcohol Problems Through Screening and Brief Intervention. A report prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation by the Alcohol Research Center of the University of Connecticut Health Center, 1996.

    5.        Grant B, Harford TC, Dawson DA, et al. Prevalence of DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence, United States 1992. Alcohol Health & Research World 18(3). 1994.

    6.        National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) analysis based on U.S. Alcohol Epidemiologic Data Reference Manual, Volume 6, 1st Edition. Drinking in the United States : Main Findings from the 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES). Bethesda , MD : NIAAA (in press).

    7.        Ibid. NIAAA (in press).

    8.        US. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Home and Garden Bulletin No. 232. Nutrition and Your Health. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 1995.

    9.        National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States , 1995. 1998.

    10.     National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Eighth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health. Bethesda , MD : NIAAA, 1997.

    11.     Hingson R, and Howland J. Alcohol and non-traffic unintended injuries. Addiction 88 (7): 877-883, 1993.

    12.     Urbano-Marquez A, Estruch R, Fernandez-Sola JM, Pare JC, and Rubin E. The greater risk of alcoholic cardiomyopathy in women compared with men. JAMA 274 (2): 149-154, 1995.

    13.     National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts, 1999.

    14.     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 47, Number 19, June 30, 1999 .

© 2006 Chemical Dependency Center