Alcohol Awareness Month: When and How to Support

Such research is critical in helping us to improve the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol-related problems. She was one of the early members of Alcoholics Anonymous and the first woman to have successfully gone through a 12-step group. She founded NCADD to help people like her get counseled and treated for alcoholism and dedicated this group to key medical and scientific research for the community. Encouraged by the massive number of families going into signs and symptoms of spice abuse recovery, NCADD marked April to bring about a nationwide change by using communication tools to cultivate awareness about binge drinking and how much more dangerous it can be than just a night of fun. According to the most recent data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 49 percent of full-time college students between the ages of 18 and 22 drank alcohol in the month prior to the survey, and 29 percent self-reported binge drinking in that same timeframe.

College administrations and state governments are turning to “creative prevention strategies” to address the epidemic, and Alcohol Awareness Month gives them the platform to spread the message. Since its inception in 1987, National Alcohol Awareness Month has saved many lives from alcohol-related deaths. Some of the ways the NCADD has made it possible to fight alcoholism is by launching personalized campaigns every year, Alcohol-Free-Weekend encouraging abstinence, and seeking help for someone if they are unable to. The D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and Know Your Limits campaigns have also instilled much-needed information about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption in children from an early age. National Prevention Week is a public education platform showcasing the work of communities and organizations across the country that are preventing substance use and misuse and promoting positive mental health. The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator can help you recognize and find high quality treatment for alcohol use disorder.

The toolkits provide resources for organizations like schools, health care practices, and health departments to raise awareness about critical public health issues, like the health risks of drinking too much alcohol. NDAFW was created to improve the prevention and awareness of substance misuse in communities and nationwide by connecting everyone, from scientists, xanax side effects students, and educators to health care providers and community partners. During Alcohol Awareness Month, you can also find information across the NIAAA website to learn more about NIAAA-supported research and initiatives. These efforts aim to generate and disseminate fundamental knowledge about the adverse effects of alcohol on health and well-being.

  1. Access a suite of prevention- and mental health-focused activities to share within your community.
  2. Recent research tells us that how youth and young adults perceive harm from drugs and alcohol is often wrong.
  3. NDAFW is an annual health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth.

Sign up for NDAFW email updates below, and find lots of great resources for planning and promoting your very own NDAFW event. I also encourage you to take a close look at Rethinking Drinking and the Alcohol Treatment Navigator to learn more about AUD and how to find quality care to address it. More NIAAA resources about drinking during adolescence are available on our underage drinking landing page, including resources for talking to kids about alcohol.

What is the aim of Alcohol Awareness Month?

Recent research tells us that how youth and young adults perceive harm from drugs and alcohol is often wrong. SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from 2020 shows that 57 percent of youth ages 12 to 17 did not think there was great harm in having five or more drinks once or twice a week. Even more concerning is that as many as 62.6 percent of those in that age group did not think it was very harmful to smoke marijuana once or twice a week. This year, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) will be hosting the 10th annual National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) from March 30 through April 5, 2020.

Do you want to change your relationship with alcohol?

Visit OSI’s website to read the full Alcohol and Other Drug Policy and to learn how the Good Samaritan/Medical Amnesty Provision can protect you if you call for help. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Recognizing that you want to change your relationship with alcohol is a big step, and it can be overwhelming to think about the next steps, such as treatment.

Facts About Alcohol Consumption That Will Blow Your Mind

The Council leverages traditional and social media campaigns during April to draw attention to the causes of alcoholism and the risks of alcohol dependence, and encourages people to talk about this disease. It aims to foster responsible attitudes by designating a month of candid discussions and information sharing, while reaching out to the American public via community-sponsored awareness activities and campaigns designed to prevent alcoholism. SAMHSA’s mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes.

Used their ingenuity to push prevention work forward, even when COVID-19 made gathering in person impossible. As such, National Prevention Week is shifting to celebrate and promote your year-round prevention initiatives. SAMHSA created a new, ongoing virtual series to showcase, elevate, and celebrate the important prevention ideas, events, news, and activities that impact communities across the country. Throughout the year, the series will focus on spotlighting prevention organizations and cultivating social innovation to address the real needs of our communities and young people.

Alcohol Awareness Month is a public health program organized by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as a way of increasing outreach and education regarding the dangers of alcoholism and issues related to alcohol. The program was started in April 1987 with the intention of targeting college-aged students who might be drinking too much as part of their newfound freedom. It has since become a national movement to draw more attention to the causes and effects of alcoholism as well as how to help families and communities deal with drinking problems.

If you recognize any of these symptoms in yourself, it’s time to rethink the role that alcohol plays in your life. NIAAA has some interactive resources to help you examine your drinking patterns further and, if needed, recognize and search for quality care. As a subsidiary of American Addiction Centers, a nationwide provider of treatment facilities, Alcohol.org will also be showcasing the cost alcoholism and addiction can have on your life throughout the entire month of April. We’ll be helping give a real glimpse into how it can affect your mental and physical health, financial well-being, relationships (family and friends), and what it could mean for your current and future career. Long-term, excessive drinking of alcohol can gravely affect your health and leads to chronic diseases including high blood pressure, liver disease, digestive problems, and even cancer.

Thank you for your continued support in preventing substance misuse and its harmful effects. NDAFW helps inspire dialogue about the science of alcohol and other drug use—how it affects the brain and body, and how it may lead to addiction among youth. By communicating the long-term, harmful effects on the brain from using alcohol and drugs, NIDA educates teens on the importance of prevention.

Parents and other adults can make a difference in helping teens make the right decisions when it comes to alcohol and preventing underage drinking. Another strong start is to understand your key function as a role model when it comes to alcohol. Adolescents are less likely to drink heavily when the adults in their life demonstrate responsible behavior regarding their own alcohol use and when they live in homes where parents/guardians have specific rules against drinking at a young age. With this in mind, Alcohol Awareness Month gives public health bodies, community centers, and treatment facilities the chance to increase their efforts to reach people who may not fully appreciate the dangers of unhealthy alcohol consumption. From rural Montana to college campuses in Florida, the success stories from SAMHSA’s Communities Talk to Prevent Underage Drinking initiative offer compelling examples of drug and alcohol misuse prevention at work.



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