Alcohol Use Problems: Who’s at Risk?
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. During this month, thousands of communities across the Nation will host events to raise public awareness about the consequences of alcohol misuse. Traditionally, these events have focused on underage drinking and the critical need for communities to mobilize around prevention. According to SAMHSA’s 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 10.4 million young people aged 12 to 20 reported drinking alcohol in the past month. More than half engage in high-risk binge and heavy drinking behaviors.
Alcohol-related observances in April, however, go beyond raising awareness at the community level. April 7 is National Alcohol Screening Day®. On this day, SAMHSA encourages individuals who use alcohol to consider their personal drinking patterns to determine if they have an alcohol use problem. The NSDUH estimates that, in 2009, 19.3 million individuals aged 12 or older needed treatment for an alcohol use problem.
Tragically, a huge gap exists between those who have an alcohol use problem and those who recognize the problem and accept the need for treatment. This gap is particularly acute for underage drinkers. Because episodes of heavy drinking are more common among youth in general than among older adults, those who develop dependence early may be less likely to recognize that they have a problem for which they need to seek help.
Raise your personal awareness of alcohol use. Visitors to the National Alcohol Screening Day Web site can conduct a quick, anonymous self-assessment of their drinking behaviors and possible related problems, including depression. Military families and their members, college students, and members of the general public also can find local screening facilities through the site.
Individuals who have an alcohol use problem can find help through SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator. Individuals who want to decrease their risk of developing a problem by reducing their alcohol use can find resources at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Rethinking Drinking Web site. Parents and others who would like more information on underage drinking and its prevention should visit http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov, a comprehensive portal of prevention research and resources maintained by SAMHSA on behalf of the 15 Federal agencies that make up the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Underage Drinking Prevention.
SAMHSA’s efforts to promote Alcohol Awareness Month and National Alcohol Screening Day reflect several of its key initiatives to raise public awareness and to promote public health through prevention and treatment of and recovery from behavioral health disorders.
*** Note: Statement about young people being less likely to seek help is from Hingson, R. W., Heeren, T., & Winter, M. R. (2006). Age of alcohol-dependence onset: Associations with severity of dependence and seeking treatment. Pediatrics, 118, e755–-e763.
Anyone seeking help please do. I lost my grandfather 2 this disease 7 yrs April 20th it causes severe liver damage, heart attacks, strokes, and many other complications. If i can help one person then Ive helped my heart heal. If u need help get it and if u need a friend email me or fb request me and I will listen not judge, listen. Im majoring in Chemical Dependency Counseling and going 2 get my Masters. Please feel free 2 contact me.
I am a 30 year old female who finally surrendered! I use to be very angry with the fact that I was an Alcoholic. I went through a few periods back in the day where I thought that maybe I was not and back to the bottle I went. Each time was more serious then the first. I just could not seem to get the whole sober thing! I kept thinking I was being punished & would ask “Why me?”. I remember being very afraid of life in general and that I could never drink again for if I did I would surely die. I was only 22 then – what the heck was I suppose to do now? I was so use to drinking everyday, all day that this was a total shock to my system. I just wanted to be “normal” but drinking for me was everything but. It wasn’t until later through the progression of this disease in and out of the program that I figured out I didn’t want to drink like a normal person, I wanted to drink like I always had but didn’t want to feel the way I felt anymore. I hated who I was when I was on the “Bottle” & even when I was off… Between the black outs, hospital visits, detox centers, treatment programs, demoralizing corrupting behaviors, guilt & sickness – you pick. My disease took me to places I never thought I would go. I also never thought I would ever want to die but by the time I was 28 I wanted just that. I asked God to take me – I only prayed to him when I was desperate, I wasn’t even sure if he existed…but I had no one else to talk to. He did take me but not to his house, I woke up close to death and back to the hospital again. I begged them to not let me go because I knew I couldn’t stop and I had already lost everything…there was nowhere else to go. I was homeless, alone, spiritually lost, in bad physical health, enduring absolute mental torture, & I wouldn’t and couldn’t stay sober on my own. I completely let go and let God decide my fate. I came to Florida from the northeast with nothing but a pair of rosary beads I got at the hospital and because of God & staying sober through this program I don’t have my life back, I have a new one. My first year was not an easy road but I stayed sober through it all and grew so much. Working and Applying these steps saved my life. I am accountable for myself and my dealings with others, I have a God that adores and loves me and who I build a relationship daily with. I found that I needed to let time have its place so he could show himself to me. I see God everyday through experiences, meditation, & others. I respect myself today and respect others. I do not have to rely on my family and/or friends to pick up the pieces that I have left of myself in each of their lives. In order for me to be happy, joyous, & free – I have to be honest…As honest to myself as honest with others. I am an Alcoholic and blessed, it’s a gift today and not a punishment. I have the opportunity to be a better person each day, to grow, to mend, to love, to laugh, to cry, to help others and to continue in life as if it were a journey and not just an accomplishment or race. Each day is an opportunity to be FREE! I have much gratitude today and am very blessed!!! Thank you…Thank you for this freedom!!! If you or someone you know suffers from the disease of Alcoholism…there is HOPE!!!
Social drinkers and health drinkers can sleep-walk into alcohol dependence with devastating consequences to his health and social life. So, it is very important to detect the problem early and take appropriate action.
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How does alcohol effect you in a hot tub?