Christine Chasek
MS, CPC, LMHP, therapist, 308.865.8248
As part of a campaign to reduce and prevent at-risk and binge drinking on campus, the University of Nebraska at Kearney is participating in National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) in April.
NASD provides students with an opportunity to complete an anonymous written questionnaire about alcohol, talk one-on-one with a health professional, and if appropriate, receive referral information on support or treatment services on campus.
“Most students drink responsibly, but too many do not realize the potential costs of at-risk drinking, the signs of alcohol poisoning, or how even a moderate amount of alcohol can interact with common medications and affect academic or athletic performance,” said Christine Chasek, coordinator of the event and UNK Counseling Center therapist.
“The focus of National Alcohol Screening Day is to give students the facts they need to draw the line for themselves,” she said.
Sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, in the Nebraskan Student Union Atrium. This event is free to students and the community.
A college drinking study released by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Task Force on College Drinking reported that alcohol on college campuses is strongly related to accidents, sexual assault and injury. NASD will present students with facts on alcohol, including how it affects the body, risks involved with drinking and how to regain control.
Some of the findings from the national study included:
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About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.
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More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use.
2.1 million students between the ages of 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol last year. -
About 11 percent of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol.
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More than 25 percent of administrators from schools with relatively low drinking levels, and more than 20 percent from schools with high drinking levels, say their campuses have a “moderate” or “major” problem with alcohol-related property damage.
National Alcohol Screening Day is a program of the nonprofit Screening for Mental Health (SMH) funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For additional information about alcohol or the screening program visitwww.NationalAlcoholScreeningDay.org or call Christine Chasek at 308-865-8248.
