What is your drinking IQ? Published April 29, 2010 By Mildred Fitch Alcohol Drug Abuse and Prevention Treatment Program TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- When it comes to alcohol consumption, how much is too much? "Do you know your Drinking IQ" is a question that is being asked by Military Pathways as they encourage all service members and their families to take a free anonymous screening to assess their alcohol use and behaviors at www.DrinkingIQ.org. To help those who may be struggling, the Department of Defense teamed up with the nonprofit organization, Screening for Mental Health, to launch Military Pathways (formerly the Mental Health Self-Assessment Program). It provides free, anonymous mental health and alcohol self-assessment for family members and service personnel in all branches including the National Guard and Reserve. The self-assessments are a series of questions that, when linked together, help create a picture of how an individual is feeling and whether they could benefit from talking to a health professional. The primary goals of the program are to reduce stigma, raise awareness, and connect those in need to available resources. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Recognizing that with each deployment, military personnel and their families face enormous challenges, and the stress and anxiety associated with separation can lead many to misuse alcohol. The question also sets the stage for service members and their families to have a candid and open discussion about alcohol dependence and abuse. For most adults, moderate alcohol use causes few, in any, problems. But for some, any alcohol use may lead to significant health problems or affect the ability to perform optimally at work. Trying to figure out if there is a problem isn't easy, the free online screening is a good place to start. Alcohol facts: · Young men, aged 18-25, consistently have been found to have the highest prevalence of heavy alcohol use within the military. The rate for heavy alcohol use among young military males is also approximately twice the rate of their civilian counterparts. · Women overall drink less than men, but are more likely to experience adverse consequences, including damage to the heart muscle, liver and brain, trauma resulting from auto crashes, interpersonal violence and death. · Alcohol can damage a fetus at any stage of pregnancy. Damage can occur in the earliest week of pregnancy, even before a woman knows that she is pregnant. · Moderate alcohol use is defined as up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people. (one drink equals one 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits) · Alcohol abuse is one of three critical health concerns identified by the DOD, along with weight management and tobacco cessation. The goal of the screening is to educate military personnel and their families about the potential risks associated with drinking. Through education, awareness and understanding, individuals can make informed decisions about their drinking behaviors. To learn more about alcohol and its effects, contact the Alcohol Drug Abuse and Prevention Treatment Program at 739-7141 or go directly to the website www.DrinkingIQ.org for the anonymous alcohol use self-assessment.