Thursday, Horizons Mental Health Center will participate in National Alcohol Screening Day which is an educational program provided through the national nonprofit, Screening for Mental Health. The initiative raises awareness about alcohol misuse and helps individuals with alcohol problems find opportunities for assessment and treatment. Thousands of community-based organizations, colleges, and military installations provide the program to the public each year.
To help direct members of the community to appropriate care, Horizons Mental Health Center is providing online screenings at http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/HORIZONSMHCENTER.
The screening is free and anonymous, and provides a comfortable and private way for individuals to assess their drinking habits. While the screening is not diagnostic, it will indicate existing symptoms and if further assessment by a clinician is advisable.
Alcohol abuse can often occur with other behavioral health issues and can exacerbate the symptoms of illnesses such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Alcohol is often used to “medicate” these disorders but, being a depressant itself, it can make the problem worse.