April is Alcohol Awareness Month, founded by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) in 1987, this month is dedicated to spreading awareness about alcohol, addiction and the recovery process. This national awareness month, founded in 1999, kicks off with National Alcohol Screening Day, which is held on April 6th 2017. Every year this day is recognized in order to educate the public on the harmful effects of alcohol can have on a person. Screening for alcoholism is extremely important and is usually the initial step in the recovery process. On April 6th 2017, many screening centers will be located at colleges, military installations, designated business, selected government agencies and online. These screening events are confidential and are sponsored by Screening For Mental Health.

Get the facts on alcohol abuse

Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States: 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults are diagnosed with an alcohol abuse disorder and millions of more individuals engage in risky behaviors such as binge drinking that can potentially lead to alcohol abuse disorder. Alcohol can affect every organ in the body including the brain, liver, heart, pancreas and stomach resulting in severe medical complications that can lead to death. Alcoholism can also destroy lives by interfering with interpersonal relationships, occupations and home life resulting in hardships in every aspect of one’s life. Seeking treatment for alcohol is highly recommended by all medical and mental health professionals, as self-help and quitting on your own can be extremely dangerous. Alcohol is extremely addictive because your body builds up a tolerance and dependence to this substance meaning that overtime more is needed to produce the same effects and when you go without drinking for a short time period, you will most likely experience withdrawals. Alcohol withdrawals, like benzodiazepine withdrawals, can cause seizures and even death and therefore it is important to seek professional help.

Alcohol screening tools

Alcohol screening tools are designed to help medical and mental health professionals screen individuals for alcohol abuse and further diagnose them so they can seek appropriate treatment. Many individuals with this disease go untreated because they are simply never diagnosed. Screening tools are often the first assessment tools used in order to find out if further evaluation is warranted.

AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) is a 10-question test that screens for harmful alcohol consumption
• How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
• How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?
• How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?
• How often during the last year have you found that you were unable to stop drinking once you have started?
• How often during the last year did you fail to do what is normally expected of you because of drinking?
• How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking?
• How often during the last year have you needed an alcoholic drink first thing in the morning to get yourself going after a night of heavy drinking?
• How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?
• Have you or someone else been injured as a result of your drinking?
• Has a relative, friend, doctor, or another health professional expressed concern about your drinking or suggested you cut down?

CAGE This screening tool is a four-question assessment that is used to determine if a thorough alcohol assessment is needed.
• Have you ever felt the need to cut down on your drinking?
• Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
• Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking?
• Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to stead your nerves (an eye opener)?

Other alcohol screening tools include the following:
• AUDIT-C
• DAST-10