URI to participate in first National Alcohol Screening Day on April 8

KINGSTON, R.I. -- April 6, 1999 -- The University of Rhode Island will participate in the first National Alcohol Screening Day on Thursday, April 8. Screening and informational events will take place in the Memorial Union Gallery room, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Participants can complete an anonymous written questionnaire about alcohol use, talk one-on-one with a trained counselor who can answer questions, and receive referrals for support or treatment services on campus.

Among the questions anticipated: how many drinks are considered "binge drinking; how to know if you have a drinking problem; what happens to your body when you are drunk; why some people can handle more alcohol than others; and where to go for help.

The program is just one of many initiatives at URI aimed at reducing alcohol abuse. The University recently formed a cross-disciplinary Alcohol Team as part of its Health Promotion Partnership to help curb student drinking.

Modeled on events such as the National Depression Screening Day that occurs every May, National Alcohol Screening Day is intended to educate the public about the symptoms of and treatments for alcohol problems. The event is sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in partnership with the National Mental Illness Screening Project.

For More Information: Ann MacDonald, 874-2116