The Department of Mental Health & Substance Dependence (DMHSD) within the Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services will observe Alcohol Awareness in the month of November.
The department hopes to increase public awareness and understanding about alcohol abuse, treatment, and other related issues, and to encourage people to evaluate their own drinking and determine if they need to change their habits. This November, DMHSD highlights the treatment and prevention of alcoholism with particular focus on underage drinking.
In a release to RTC news, Dr. Malcolm said that “Most people have a general sense of the negative impact of high-risk drinking, but may not realize how widespread and extensive the consequences are. In the neighboring United States, nearly 80,000 people die each year from alcohol-related causes, making it the third leading preventable cause of death. In addition, alcohol problems can cost governments billions each year, primarily from lost productivity, but also from health care and property damage costs. Problems such as these affect everyone, regardless of whether they drink or not.”
She further added that “Underage drinking also carries significant consequences and needs to be reduced in order to ensure the future of Turks and Caicos Island’s (TCI) youth. Alcohol used by the youth is a serious issue and has association with traffic fatalities, violence, suicide, education failure, overdose, unsafe sex, even for people who may never develop a serious addiction. Alcohol is the number one drug choice for TCI’s youth, and has the potential to cause more deaths than all illegal drugs combined.”
Reducing the underage drinking in TCI requires effort from everyone; parents, schools, community organizations, business leaders, government agencies, alcohol manufacturers/retailers, and the youth, especially when many young people starts at an early age.
With this year’s theme, “For the Health of it: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction” the month of November will be filled with local events aimed at educating people about the treatment and prevention of alcoholism and encouraging individuals and families to get help for alcohol-related problems.
Activities being held by the Department of Mental Health & Substance Dependence include:
1) 7th Annual Inter-campus College Debate- November 6th 10:00 am at the TCI Community College, Grand Turk Campus
2) Alcohol screening at local Hospitals – November 9th. (Alcohol screening questionnaires will be administered, and counseling will be available on site).
3) Alcohol Free Weekend: November 13-15 (During this seventy-two-hour period, the DMHSD extends an open invitation to all persons residing in the Turks and Caicos Islands, to participate in three alcohol-free days. The goals are to raise awareness around alcohol-related diseases, and promote healthy lifestyle choices.
4) Airing of Daily Alcohol Facts
For further information on Alcohol Awareness Month, kindly contact the Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence within the Ministry of Health and Human Services at: 338-3613 for Grand Turk, 338-4737 for Providenciales and 338-6301for South Caicos. You can find information on this and other initiatives on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TCIDMHSD .
