National Alcohol Screening Day
Take the Test!
Take the Test!LifeRing Secular Recovery invites you to participate in this year's National Alcohol Screening Day. National Alcohol Screening Day is part of April's National Alcohol Awareness Month. This is a great opportunity to take a moment to reflect on yourself as a person in recovery or as a person considering recovery.
April 6th, 2023, is National Alcohol Screening Day – a day of observance that encourages us to examine our drinking behaviors and habits. This is an annual event that provides information about alcohol and health as well as free, anonymous screening for alcohol-use disorders.
I couldn't find any screenings in my city, but I did find this online screening resource:
Alcohol Assessment Quiz: This is a short and surprisingly comprehensive alcohol-use assessment tool made up of 7 interactive questions and a detailed risk assessment report. This questionnaire doesn't require a login or ask you to provide your email for results. Resulting risk assessment and guidelines are based on National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommendations.
The graphic above is based on the average alcohol consumed by my parents. I never considered them drinkers. They did enjoy an after work cocktail followed by a glass of wine at dinner with the rare nightcap. I was more than a little shocked to find they drank more than 95% of the population!
Here are the results of the questionnaire I completed using my parents' 1970s drinking behaviors :
| Moderate Based on your reported drinking habits: You are drinking beyond recommended healthy guidelines. If you continue to drink at this level you may be at increased risk for developing serious alcohol problems. Drinking at this level, particularly binge drinking, can increase your risk for experiencing alcohol-related health problems, like high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, liver disease, cancer, and injuries. Because alcohol is a depressant, it could also contribute to emotional and interpersonal problems. You may also be more likely to have problems sleeping, reduced energy and reduced motivation the next day. These may be difficult to see if you have been drinking this way for several years. For those individuals with certain medical conditions, symptoms of certain medical conditions, or taking specific medications, any drinking at all may be hazardous to your health. |
Pretty sobering!
I had to find out how I'd score back in my drinking days. I took the quiz and it's probably the first time I've gotten a 100% on any test!
See how you score now and how you scored back-in-the-day. If you're like me, you'll be happy to see that you really have come a long way along your recovery pathway.
Have a happy recovery!