Students Offered Confidential Alcohol Self-assessment

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 5, 2012) -- From football season to spring break, the pressure to drink alcoholic beverages is all too common among college students. While many students believe binge drinking is harmless, the effects can be powerful, including exasperating mood disorders and increasing risky behavior. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, nearly a third of those with major depression also have an alcohol problem, with depression often preceding the problem with alcohol.

The University of Kentucky offers students an alcohol self-assessment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, April 5, in White Hall Classroom Building. Students will have an opportunity to take a brief, anonymous and confidential screening and to meet one-on-one with a mental health professional if they chose.  The screening will provide students with important insight into their drinking behavior and habits. Helpful treatment and referral information will be offered, if requested.

“Many students don’t associate their drinking and stress with a mood disorder,” said Federico “Felito” Aldarondo, associate director of the UK Counseling Center, a division of Student Affairs. “Often, they feel like drinking is a normal and acceptable way to fight stress, especially during their college years. However, in reality alcohol can actually make mood disorder symptoms worse. The alcohol self-assessment can help students take a step toward healthier living.” 

Here are some sample screening questions for alcohol problems:

• Have you ever felt that you should cut down on your drinking?
• Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
• Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
• Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?

(People with alcohol problems often answer "yes" to one or more of the following questions)

National Alcohol Screening Day^® is a program of the nonprofit Screening for Mental Health, Inc. (SMH). SMH is dedicated to promoting the improvement of mental health by providing the public with education, screening and treatment resources. SMH programs, both in-person and online, educate, raise awareness and screen individuals for depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders and alcohol-use disorders.