Screening for Mental Health’s Annual National Alcohol Screening Day to Focus on Stress and Drinking

Awareness and Screening Events Planned Across the Country for April 10;

Online Screening and Resources Available at www.HowDoYouScore.org

Screening for Mental Health, Inc. (SMH), the pioneer in large-scale mental health screenings for the public, announced that its National Alcohol Screening Day, held April 10th, 2014, will focus on the link between stress and drinking.  

The 17thannual screening and education day raises awareness about alcohol misuse and abuse, while providing the public with beneficial screening and treatment resources. To help individuals assess their drinking patterns, SMH is promoting www.HowDoYouScore.org, an online resource that offers anonymous screenings for alcohol abuse as well as resources for treatment and recovery.

This year’s National Alcohol Screening Day highlights the link between stress and drinking, as stress is commonly believed to be a factor in alcohol abuse and dependence. According to 2012 research published in Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, men and women who report higher levels of stress tend to drink more. While drinking may lead to positive feelings in the short term, problems can develop when stress persists and an individual continues to binge drink to cope.

The pattern of binge drinking when stressed can lead to a number of health problems. Alcohol itself affects the body in psychological and physiological ways that may intensify the effects of stress. Additional problems include unintentional injuries, high blood pressure, alcohol poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases, and depression.

“The goal of National Alcohol Screening Day is for individuals to think about how, when, and why they drink,” says Douglas G. Jacobs, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and medical director of Screening for Mental Health, Inc. “If someone is drinking more after a disappointment, a fight, or when they feel under pressure, we encourage them to take a screening. National Alcohol Screening Day highlights this important issue, and the anonymous, online screenings provide a non-threatening way for individuals to assess whether alcohol may be negatively impacting their health and life.”

Some sample screening questions include:

• How often do you have four or more drinks on one occasion?
• How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you started?
• How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected from you because of drinking?

More than 40,000 screenings were taken online and in-person at events during National Alcohol Screening Day 2013. To take an anonymous and free screening online, visit www.HowDoYouScore.org.

Screening for Mental Health, Inc. (SMH), the pioneer of large-scale mental health screening for the public, provides innovative mental health and substance abuse resources, linking those in need with quality treatment options. SMH programs, offered online and in-person, educate, raise awareness, and screen individuals for depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, alcohol use disorders, and suicide. Thousands of organizations worldwide including hospitals, military installations, colleges, secondary schools, corporations, utilize our educational and screening programs, and in turn, have reached millions of people ranging from teenagers to adults.

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Sue Thorn
Director of Marketing and Communications 
Screening for Mental Health
SThorn@mentalhealthscreening.org
(781) 591-5243 

Screening for Mental Health, Inc. (SMH), the pioneer of large-scale mental health screening for the public, provides innovative mental health and substance abuse resources, linking those in need with quality treatment options. SMH programs, offered online and in-person, educate, raise awareness, and screen individuals for depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, alcohol use disorders, and suicide. Thousands of organizations worldwide including hospitals, military installations, colleges, secondary schools, corporations, utilize our educational and screening programs, and in turn, have reached millions of people ranging from teenagers to adults.

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