Under the influence: Alcohol Awareness Month

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, so this is a good time to stop and think: Are you or someone you love drinking too much?

Take a look at the chart below to see some of the important facts about alcohol in America today.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence announced that the theme for this month is “Help for Today. Hope for Tomorrow.”

If you suspect an alcohol problem in your family, Dr. Thomas Kosten, Waggoner Chair and Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Immunology and Pathology at BCM, says that there are common screening tools to help identify signs of alcoholism.

He says that the CAGE, AUDIT, or T-ACE are helpful, and you can find them on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s site.

If you believe you or someone else in your life may need help, contact the Baylor Medicine Psychiatry Clinic in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

-By Andy Phifer