Tri-County Technical College Participates
in National Alcohol Screening Program April 4
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3/23/2006
CONTACT: DANA LEIGHTON, 864-646-1387
or NASD National Office, 800-253-7658
(By Lisa Garrett)
PENDLETON --- A student dies after downing 20 Scotch whisky shots
to celebrate his 21st birthday; an 18 year-old freshman at a prestigious
New England college lapses into an alcohol induced coma from which he
never recovers; after playing a speed round of “quarters,” a student
gets into his car and hits a van head on, killing four people. These
headlines have become all too familiar. Statistics show that alcohol
is frequently a factor in the three leading causes of death – motor
vehicle crashes, homicides and suicides – for 15-to 24-year-olds.
College is supposed to be a time of learning, growth and self-discovery.
Many students feel that in order to attain the full college experience,
they must experiment with alcohol. But students are indulging in more
than the occasional drink. In fact, according to a 2002 survey, more
than 44% of full-time college students reported consuming five or more
drinks on the same occasion.
In an effort to address drinking problems among students and the public,
students in Tri-County Technical College’s Abnormal Psychology course
are presenting the National Alcohol Screening Day Program (NASD) Tuesday,
April 4. NASD is a one-day education and screening event designed to
raise awareness on how alcohol affects health and academic performance;
to help individuals evaluate their alcohol use; and to provide referrals
to local treatment and support resources for those who need further
evaluation. Although the event is open to the public, the college component
of NASD targets students who are risky drinkers, with a focus on binge
drinking.
At the screening event, students, faculty, staff and the general public
can take an anonymous self-test questionnaire, pick up educational brochures
on the dangers of alcohol abuse and talk one-on-one with a health professional
from Anderson-Oconee County Behavioral Health Services. If appropriate,
participants will be directed to support or treatment services on- or
off-campus. Screenings will be held at the College’s Student Center
from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and the event is free and open to the public.
The event will be presented by students in the Abnormal Psychology class,
in cooperation with Anderson-Oconee County Behavioral Health Services.
Says Dana Leighton, Tri-County psychology instructor: “The focus of
National Alcohol Screening Day is to give students the facts they need
to figure out how much alcohol is too much. Most students drink responsibly,
but too many do not realize the potential costs of at-risk drinking,
the signs of alcohol poisoning, or how even a moderate amount of alcohol
can interact with common medications and affect academic or athletic
performance.”
Info Released by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Task Force on College Drinking
Alcohol abuse and at-risk drinking can cause more that just a nagging
hangover. The college drinking study, released by the National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Task Force on College Drinking (http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/facts/snapshot.aspx
), reported excessive drinking affects all students, whether they choose
to drink or not. Some of the stunning findings include:
• Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic
consequences of their drinking, including missing class, falling behind,
doing poorly on exams or papers and receiving lower grades overall
• Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop
an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of
students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past
year due to drinking or drug use (Presley et al., 1998).
• Drunk Driving: 2.1 million students between the ages of 18 and 24
drove under the influence of alcohol last year
• Vandalism: About 11 percent of college student drinkers report that
they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol
• Property Damage: More than 25 percent of administrators from schools
with relatively low drinking levels and over 50 percent from schools
with high drinking levels say their campuses have a "moderate"
or "major" problem with alcohol-related property damage
National Alcohol Screening Day is a program of the non-profit Screening
for Mental Health (SMH), funded in part by an educational grant from
Cephalon & Alkermes.
For additional information about alcohol or the screening program,
visit www.NationalAlcoholScreeningDay.org .
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