April Is Alcohol Awareness Month: What You Should Know
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. It is a campaign that helps to spread warnings about the effect of alcohol abuse. It may seem silly that there should even be a month about this - after all, everyone understands that drinking can be dangerous.
This campaign is promoted by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD.) It is a wonderful organization that supports communities and organizations across the United States to raise public awareness about alcoholism. Ranging from events to education, it is useful on educating the public on prevention and treatment of alcoholism.
But why is this month so important? First, let's take a look at how this campaign even began!
Alcohol Awareness Month: The History
NCADD was founded by Marty Mann. She is one of the earliest members of Alcoholics Anonymous and was the first woman to successfully complete a 12-step group.
Seeing the need for people like her to receive counsel and treatment for alcoholism was a driving force behind her creating NCADD. She wanted this group to be more than just a basic program, and sought to have it be the key medical and scientific research organization for alcoholism.
The members of NCADD saw a positive shift in the amount of people who were beginning the path to recovery.
In 1987, NCADD began the national campaign of National Alcohol Awareness Month. They wanted to bring a nationwide change through communication efforts to bring awareness on the dangers of drinking and how dangerous it can be.
National Alcohol Awareness Month Now
The efforts originally started in 1987 are still going - and are stronger than ever. Now, NCADD uses a variety of traditional and social media campaigns during the whole month of April. In addition these campaigns, NCADD uses community sponsored activities to bring awareness, also.
While April is designated Alcohol Awareness Month, the efforts to prevent alcoholism do not stop during this month. All year long, through programs such as “Talk. They Here You”, D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and Know Your Limits, information is provided to children as preventative measures from an early age.
How To Get Involved
No matter where you are at in your journey with alcoholism, you can get involved with these great campaigns. It can serve as a reminder of why you started the road to recovery - or why you need to. Becoming involved as an individual or within your community can be a great kick starter to your recovery.
Here are a few ways that you can observe National Alcohol Awareness month in April.
Alcohol-Free Weekend
Every April, NCADD promotes a full 72 hours, or 3 days, of being free from alcohol. This is a great way to monitor the withdrawal symptoms you may have from alcohol dependency.
Speak Up
Speaking up about things that are uncomfortable to talk about is hard. You don't want to push buttons, or be too preachy, but sometimes, that is just what people need.
Alcohol abuse is real. And many people suffer with it daily. Whether you are a former alcohol abuser or know someone, talking about it is crucial. Change can never happen unless we initiate the conversations that need to happen.
If you're concerned about someone's alcohol use, bring it up. There's no guarantee on how they will respond, but it can be done with love, empathy, kindness, and compassion.
A great prevention tool is to begin these conversations early with children. If there are adults in their life who drink, they may not understand why they drink- or why the act a certain way when drunk. It's uncomfortable, but talking about these unhealthy coping mechanisms adults use can help children make smarter choices as they get older.
While there is a whole month dedicated to alcohol awareness, the conversation should take place all year round. If you are struggling to deal with alcoholism or know someone who is, let's connect and start this conversation.