Join in Alcohol-Free Weekend
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and Renz Addiction Counseling Center is encouraging residents to participate in a communitywide three day Alcohol-Free Weekend, April 3-5.
This weekend is aimed to raise public awareness about the use of alcohol and how it affects individuals, families, and businesses.
"If you or someone you know experiences difficulty or discomfort within the 72-hour Alcohol-Free Weekend," said Renz Addiction Counseling Center's Executive Director Jerry Skogmo, "then I urge you to take the next step and complete an alcohol assessment. Help is available, recovery is possible."
Alcohol Awareness Month is a national grass-roots effort observed by communities throughout the United States to support prevention, research, education, intervention, treatment and recovery from alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. This year's theme, "For the Health of It: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction," was designed to draw attention to the need for early education to give kids a better understanding of the impact that alcohol can have on their lives.
"Reducing underage drinking is critical to securing a healthy future for America's youth," said Skogmo, "and the need to provide education on the dangers of alcohol and/or drug abuse and its effects on children have never been greater."
According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, "Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States. 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence along with several million more who engage in risky, binge drinking patterns that could lead to alcohol problems. More than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking, and more than 7 million children live in a household where at least one parent is dependent on or has abused alcohol."
Warning signs of alcohol abuse include:
• Drinking to calm nerves, forget worries or boost a sad mood
• Guilt about drinking
• Unsuccessful attempts to cut down or stop drinking
• Lying about or hiding drinking habits
• Causing harm to oneself or someone else as a result of drinking
• Needing to drink increasingly greater amounts in order to achieve desired effects
• Feeling irritable, resentful or unreasonable when not drinking
• Medical, social, family or financial problems caused by drinking
Renz Center provides a continuum of care dedicated to the prevention, intervention and treatment of addictive behaviors related to alcohol, drugs, and gambling. Services range from prevention programs for youth in the schools to outpatient treatment programs for adolescents and adults. Offices are located in Elgin, St. Charles and Streamwood.
Renz Addiction Counseling Center is a nonprofit organization funded in part by the federal government, Central Kane County United Way, The Illinois Department of Human Services, Hanover Township, Geneva, and St. Charles 708 boards and other local community organizations. To find out more about Renz Center's programs, call (847) 742-3545 or visit www.renzcenter.org.