National Alcohol Screening Day

By LifeRing | April 7, 2011

Today, April 7, 2011, is National Alcohol Screening Day in the United States. The event encourages people who use alcohol to consider their personal drinking patterns to determine if they have an alcohol use problem. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimates that, in 2009, 19.3 million individuals needed treatment for alcohol.

A new report, released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that only 1.2 percent of the nation’s more than 7.4 million adults with an untreated alcohol abuse disorder perceive they could benefit from treatment. The report highlights the need to raise awareness about adult problem drinking, how to identify when someone has a problem, and how to encourage a problem drinker to get help.

If you have someone in your life who is struggling with alcohol, you might consider telling them about the National Alcohol Screening Day Website so that they can take the quick, anonymous self-assessment of their drinking behaviors and possible related problems, including depression, and refer them to LifeRing as well.

A copy of the SAMHSA report on pdf can be accessed at: http://oas.samhsa.gov/spotlight/Spotlight034AdultsAlcohol.pdf.