Alcohol screening offers information, helpby Dick PetersonPublic Relations Count your drinks. How many beers, cocktails, or shots of liquor have you had today? Now tally each day’s drinks for the week. Men, have you had more than four drinks in a day, or more than 14 in a week? And women, have you had more than three in one day or more than seven for the week? If your answer is yes to either question, you could be putting your health at risk. Now add other health risks to the equation—hypertension, diabetes, heart trouble—and the alcohol compromises your health even more, both by what it does to your body and by how it reacts with medications you may be taking. “There are more than 150 commonly prescribed medications that are affected adversely by alcohol, some dangerously so,” said Kenna Lyons an alcohol information specialist with MUSC’s Alcohol Research Center. “And sometimes the physicians prescribing these medications don’t ask about drinking patterns or warn their patients about the effects of drinking with prescription medicine.” Lyons will ask these kind of questions and hand out information about the effects of alcohol during MUSC’s weeklong observance of National Alcohol Screening Day (April 7) April 4 through 8. Individuals are encouraged to take advantage of this free and confidential screening opportunity. In addition, Lyons will provide information about resources where people can find help for themselves or others they care about. Lyons said that National Alcohol Screening Day is typically geared toward people whose drinking has not reached a level of creating serious consequences. “Everyday I talk to treatment seekers looking for treatment options at MUSC. During the week of alcohol screening, our goal is to talk to a variety of people who need help with alcohol problems, as well as social drinkers who want to know about healthy drinking practices.” She said she welcomes anonymous calls from people with general questions and those who are looking for resources to help curb at-risk drinking. Women are especially susceptible to the damaging effects of alcohol, Lyons said. “And they are the hardest group to reach.” She said the effects of alcohol are much more dramatic in women, the health consequences are much greater, and they are less likely to seek help than men. “Fourteen million Americans currently have an alcohol use disorder;
it’s more common than people realize,” she said. To receive a confidential
alcohol screening by phone, or to obtain information about National Alcohol
Screening Day or learn about treatment programs at MUSC and at other locations
in the community, call 792-2727.
Friday, April 1, 2005
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