April: Alcohol Awareness Month

By Katherine L. CruiseApril 3, 2009

Military installations worldwide encourage service members and their

Families to learn their drinking IQ: Anonymous, free alcohol assessment

and education available year-round by phone or online.

In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, the Department of Defense

will offer free, anonymous assessment tools online throughout the month

of April in an effort to educate service members and their Families on

the symptoms and signs of alcohol abuse. These tools are designed to

educate military personnel about the potential risks associated with

alcohol use and help them make informed decisions about their drinking

behaviors. In an effort to raise awareness of these and other resources

available to service personnel and their Families, the military is

promoting a new website, www.DrinkingIQ.org, at installations worldwide.

Every year, millions of Americans - one in every 13 adults - suffer from

alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. Millions more drink at times or in

ways that can place themselves or others at risk.

Military personnel and their Families may also be susceptible to alcohol

misuse because of the stresses associated with deployment. A new study

released by the University of Minnesota and the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) last month revealed that alcohol abuse is a

problem among active-duty military personnel and is strongly associated

with many health and social problems, just as it is in the general

public.

The assessment and education tools are offered through the Mental Health

Self-Assessment Program(r) (MHSAP), a voluntary, anonymous mental health

and alcohol self-assessment and referral program offered to military

Families and service members. In an effort to raise awareness of

responsible drinking, MHSAP has distributed promotional materials

including posters and sports water bottles to military installation

fitness centers and alcohol programs. The materials direct service

personnel and their Families to a new website, www.DrinkingIQ.org, which

connects users to the online tools available at no cost 24 hours a day,

seven days a week.

"Providing service members and their Families with information and

resources empowers them to learn the potential risks associated with

drinking and determine if they or a loved one may need to seek

appropriate support," said Col. Joyce Adkins, Ph.D, MPH, Department of

Defense, Office of Health Affairs. "Research indicates that brief

interventions for drinking problems can be an effective treatment for

some alcohol use disorders without the need for further clinical

intervention."

In addition to offering alcohol assessment and education tools

year-round, the MHSAP program offers self-assessments for Posttraumatic

Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and

bipolar disorder. To learn more or to complete an assessment tool, go

to http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/military/

About the Mental Health Self-Assessment Program (MHSAP) MHSAP gives

service personnel and their Families the opportunity to learn more about

mental health and alcohol use through anonymous self-assessments offered

online, via the phone, and through special events held at installations.

The program is designed to help individuals identify their own symptoms

and access assistance before a problem becomes serious. The

self-assessments address posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD),

depression, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol use, and bipolar

disorder. After completing a self-assessment, individuals receive

referral information including services provided through the Department

of Defense and Veterans Affairs. MHSAP is a program of the non-profit

Screening for Mental Health(r) and is fully funded by Force Health

Protection and Readiness, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense,

Health Affairs. To take a free, anonymous self-assessment, visit

www.MilitaryMentalHealth.org or call 1-877-877-3647.