We are half way through the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence’s Alcohol Awareness Month. This year, the theme is “For the Health of It: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction”. April was chosen as Alcohol Awareness Month with the purpose of increasing public awareness and understanding, reducing the stigma, and encouraging local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.
We take time this month to educate people about the treatment and prevention of alcoholism. This year in particular, the National Council is focusing on young people, and the frighteningly rising rate of alcohol use by pre-teens, teenagers and college students. This increasing trend is associated with traffic fatalities, violence, suicide, educational failure, alcohol overdose, unsafe sex, and more. Alcohol is the number one drug choice for our youth, and is more likely to kill them than all illegal drugs combined.
“Underage drinking is a complex issue,” says Andrew Pucher, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCADD, “one that can only be solved through a sustained and cooperative effort. As a nation, we need to wake up to the reality that for some, alcoholism and addiction develop at a young age and that intervention, treatment, and recovery support are essential for them and their families,” says Pucher. “We can’t afford to wait any longer.”
For more information about Alcohol Awareness Month, visit the NCADD website. Follow along with hashtag #alcoholawarenessmonth throughout April on our social media sites as well as NCADD’s. Click here more information about treatment for alcohol addiction.