| April is Alcohol Awareness Month Theme of 19th
annual celebration of Alcohol Awareness Month is “Together, We
Can Stop Underage Drinking”.
Alcoholism is a disease characterized by denial and
isolation that affects millions of Americans. Many people
think of alcohol abusers as teenagers sneaking drinks before
high school football games or at unsupervised parties.
Unfortunately, alcohol abuse is prevalent within many
demographic groups in the United States. People who abuse
alcohol can also be college students who binge drink at local
bars, pregnant women who put their babies at risk of fetal
alcohol syndrome when they drink, professionals who drink
after a long day of work, or seniors who drink out of
loneliness. Pregnancy is an especially bad time to drink.
This April will be the 19th annual celebration of Alcohol
Awareness Month. This year the theme is “Together, We Can Stop
Underage Drinking”. In recognition of the serious problem of
alcohol abuse, the annual National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD)
will be held this year on April 7, 2005. NASD allows people to
be screened anonymously at various sites across the country to
see if their drinking habits may be risky.
Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse
If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you
may have a problem with alcohol:
Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
Does your drinking ever make you late for work?
Does your drinking worry your family?
Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won’t?
Do you ever forget what you did while drinking?
Do you get headaches or have a hangover after drinking?
If you suspect that you might have a drinking problem, or you
know someone who abuses alcohol, please contact SAMHA’s
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at
1-800-729-6686 or find a screening site located near you.
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