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Screenings for alcohol disorders to be held MUSC will offer free, anonymous screenings for alcohol use disorders on April 6, National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD).   The goal is to help people recognize the signs of an alcohol problem and learn where to get support and treatment locally.   Held in April as part of National Alcohol Awareness Month, NASD is a program of the nonprofit Screening for Mental Health Inc.   Last year, an estimated 221,000 people participated in a NASD event. Of those that completed a screening form, 45 percent scored in the hazardous or harmful drinking range.   The following are signs that you, a friend, or a loved one may have an alcohol problem: Drinking to calm nerves, forget worries, or boost a sad mood Guilt about drinking Unsuccessful attempts to cut down/stop drinking Lying about or hiding drinking habits Causing harm to oneself or someone else as a result of drinking Needing to drink increasingly greater amounts in order to achieve desired effect Feeling irritable, resentful, or unreasonable when not drinking Medical, social, family, or financial problems caused by drinking.   On April 6, MUSC faculty, employees, students, and patients will have the opportunity to complete an anonymous, brief (five minute) online questionnaire assessing their alcohol use. Immediate feedback will be given on the Web site as well as referral information.   For information about National Alcohol Screening Day or other clinical or research programs at the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs and the Charleston Alcohol Research Center, call Kim or Kenna at 792-2727.   As part of the Wellness Wednesday series, sponsored by the Employee Wellness Program, the Center for Drug and Alcohol Program will sponsor a booth from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 5 in the lobby of the Children's Hospital. What is the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs? The Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs (CDAP) is one of the nation’s premier academic centers for the study of substance abuse.   It is staffed by nationally and internationally known scientists, all striving to advance current knowledge about the epidemic of alcohol and other substance abuse through basic and clinical research. CDAP also serves as a state-of-the-art training facility for future substance abuse scientists. Through affiliated clinical programs, CDAP is using cutting-edge treatments to help addicted individuals and to train the next generation of addiction medicine clinicians while providing a solid knowledge base for medical and other health related trainees.   Directed by Raymond Anton, M.D., CDAP is a division of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at MUSC. CDAP contains 33,000 square feet of dedicated space for research, education, and clinical treatment. There are integrated clinical and basic laboratory research programs. The educational and research colloquium involves both clinical and basic scientists interacting and teaching.   The cornerstone of CDAP is the Charleston Alcohol Research Center (ARC). Directed by Carrie Randall, Ph.D., and funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), it is one of 15 centers nationwide that comprise the National Alcohol Research Centers Program. The overall theme of the ARC is treatment and treatment implications. The primary thread that ties the research efforts together is pharmacotherapy. The Center’s focus on pharmacotherapy and comorbidity is based on the philosophy that there is a biological basis for alcohol use and alcoholism.   CDAP has a long history of involvement in the advancement of knowledge in substance use disorders. Some of the most well-known and respected leaders in the field of addiction treatment and research are members of its faculty. Interdisciplinary topics under study include cravings for alcohol and cocaine (using clinical laboratory and brain imaging technology), treatment of withdrawal symptoms and relapse prevention using new medications (in both adults and adolescents), treatment studies on coexisting psychiatric (social anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder) and substance abuse disorders, studies related to quitting smoking and maintaining abstinence from cocaine, as well as cellular and animal research into the basic mechanisms of how alcohol and cocaine affect the brain.   CDAP is also committed to improving community awareness about addiction as a brain disease and the availability of effective treatment. Toward this end, CDAP faculty are active presenters in the community, speaking to local churches, schools, and civic groups.   For information or to have someone from CDAP  speak to your group, contact Liz Puca at the Office of Community and Professional Education at pucalm@musc.edu. Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of the Employee Wellness Program. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA, and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.     Friday, March 31, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island papers at 849-1778, ext. 201.