Five familiar, cheap red plastic cups floated against a stark white banner, the one on the end somersaulting into the air. For anyone who’s been on campus, it’s a familiar sight, but the message that floated beneath it was less so: Don’t risk your life with the flip of a cup.
Beneath the banner stood S. Julian Dixon, head of the MSU Counseling Center’s substance abuse unit, offering a survey to students passing through the International Center as part of National Alcohol Screening Day, an event sponsored by the MSU Counseling Center’s substance abuse unit.
“National Alcohol Screening Day is a day of awareness to help educate the community about the importance of responsible alcohol use,” he said. “Every year we hold a screening.”
The audit was designed to raise awareness about drinking problems and what can be done about them, Dixon said.
“We encourage follow-up with the Counseling Center to pursue help if they need it,” Dixon said.
“In substance abuse, (the person) must be motivated to get help. We want to encourage them to seek help if they have a problem or if they’re at risk for having a dependence problem.”
More than 100 students filled out the 10-question “audit,” which asked questions about drinking habits ranging from, “How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?” to, “Have you or has someone else been injured as a result of your drinking?”
The score results would indicate if a student was at risk for substance abuse or was dependent on alcohol.
Most students who participated said they supported the voluntary screening, Dixon said, while other students were surprised at what the audit said about their habits.
Not all students, however, were convinced of the questionnaire’s accuracy. The problem with the audit was within the available answers, mechanical engineering sophomore Lucas Fratta said.
“They’re trying to get an idea of how many people drink, but I don’t think that’s very accurate,” Fratta said. “The options you have for choosing how much you drink ranges from weekly to monthly, so if you do it more than once a year, you’d have to say monthly. For it to be more accurate, there should be more options.”
Others, such as human biology freshman Jillian Thayer, said the screening could help students.
“I think it would encourage students to think more about their drinking,” Thayer said.
The best part of the screening event is it offers help to people who may need it but don’t know where to look, said Shanita Wade, a counseling graduate student and intern with the Counseling Center.
“If they get their score and they feel like they need help, and it indicates that they need help, I hope that they do that and take care of themselves,” Wade said.
“That’s the biggest message — take care of yourself.”
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