A List
3/31/03

SLU TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL ALCOHOL SCREENING DAY APRIL 10

CANTON - St. Lawrence University will participate in National Alcohol 
Screening Day on Thursday, April 10, to provide students with 
opportunities for self-assessment, access to educational information 
and counseling.
	Screenings will be held outside the Northstar Pub in the 
E.J. Noble University Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A brief self-assessment 
asks students about their drinking habits and if their behaviors 
have changed due to drinking. In addition to taking the written self-test, 
students will have access to educational information about how alcohol 
relates to health and the dangers of risky drinking, and have the 
opportunity to talk one-on-one with a health professional. If appropriate, 
students will be directed to support or treatment services on campus.  
	Director of Counseling Services and Coordinator of the 
St. Lawrence University Alcohol Initiative William B. Burns says, 
"The focus of National Alcohol Screening Day is to give students 
the facts they need to draw the line for themselves. Most students 
drink responsibly, but too many do not realize the potential costs 
of risky 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."
	A study released last year by the National Institute on Alcohol 
Abuse and Alcoholism Task Force on College Drinking reported that 
excessive drinking affects all students. Among the study's findings:
	- About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences 
of their drinking including missing classes; falling behind; doing poorly 
on exams or papers; and receiving lower grades overall.
	- More than 150,000 students developed 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.
	- Some 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.
	- More than 25 percent of administrators from schools with 
relatively low drinking levels and over 50 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) in partnership with the National Institute 
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration, and the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services.
	For additional information about alcohol or the screening program, 
visit www.NationalAlcoholScreeningDay.org or contact Burns at 315-229-5391.

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