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This release prepared by the Office of Public Relations and Marketing.
Rebecca Eidson, Director, 646-1507, reidson@tctc.edu
Lisa Garrett, Public Relations Associate, 646-1506, lgarrett@tctc.edu
 

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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