You’ve likely already heard about National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week in October but did you know that April is also Alcohol Awareness Month? Since 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) has utilized each April to focus on increasing public awareness and understanding related to alcohol-related issues. Their goal is to reduce stigma and encourage communities to focus on these issues. This year’s theme is “For the Health of it: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction,” which seeks to encourage individuals to seek help for problems related to alcohol. NCADD stresses the fact that alcohol use, especially by young people, can be dangerous not only to themselves but to society as it directly correlates with “traffic fatalities, violence, suicide, educational failure, overdose, unsafe sex and other problems” and impacts people who may never develop an addiction, which describes many college students.
Adolescence is a time of heightened risk taking and young people may not be fully prepared to anticipate all the consequences of drinking alcohol, such as swigging drinks to “celebrate” a special occasion, or being in a car with a driver who has been drinking. Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for America’s youth, and is more likely to kill young people than all illegal drugs combined. – NCADD
On the tail end of spring break, UDS encourages everyone to take every opportunity to reach out to your campus and talk about these important issues. To read more visit: http://ncadd.org/index.php/