Do you have a friend or family member who seems to drink one too many?
Do you have a friend or family member who seems to drink one too many?
Drinking too much alcohol increases the risk of health-related issues and injuries or violence. In April during Alcohol Awareness Month, the McKenna Recovery Center in Hilo encourages you to educate yourself and your loved ones about the dangers of drinking too much.
There were 102 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Hawaii in 2013, and in 2007 almost half of auto accidents involved alcohol — higher than the national average of 38 percent.
To spread the word and prevent alcohol-related problems, the McKenna Recovery Center is joining other organizations across the country to observe Alcohol Awareness Month and prevent alcohol-related problems in our community.
Here are some strategies to help cut back or stop drinking:
• If you don’t drink, don’t start.
• Keep track of how much you drink.
• Don’t drink when you are upset.
• Avoid places where people drink too much.
• Develop a list of people who don’t drink who will help you avoid drinking and share your desire to stop with them.
• See your doctor and talk about quitting to ensure you can stop safely. Be honest about your alcohol consumption and tell him about current medications and other substances that might also affect your health.
• Make a list of reasons not to drink. If you are concerned about someone else’s drinking, offer to help.
• Participate in Alcoholics Anonymous groups and activities. If you are a friend or family member of an alcoholic, AlAnon could be the group for you.
To learn more about advances in treating alcoholism and other addictions, the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine is presenting an “Addictions Conference” on April 9-10 that can be viewed via video teleconference at blog.hawaii.edu/dop/hac-2015.