Alcohol Abuse & Dependence:

How do I know if Alcohol is a problem?

1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
2. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
3. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover ( eye-opener)?
5. Have your grades dropped because of your drinking?
6. Do you drink more than you intend to?
7. Have your tried to cut down on your drinking, but been unable?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may have trouble with alcohol. 

There is help. 

Midshipmen can refer themselves to either the MDC or the Brigade Drug and Alcohol Programs Advisor (DAPA) at the United States Naval Academy to receive a confidential screening which will determine if and the level of help they require. To access the Brigade DAPA, simply call  410-293-8105. To request a screening at the MDC click on the "First Time Counselor Appointments" on the main MDC page. 

Worried about a friend?

Click on the link to the right to find some additional resources. If you still have any doubts or concerns, please feel free to walk in, make an appointment with the link on our main page, or give us a call.

A Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College Drinking Consequences

 The consequences of excessive and underage drinking affect virtually all college campuses, college communities, and college students, whether they choose to drink or not.

• Death: 1,519 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes ( National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022 ).
• Assault:  Roughly 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 years old have been assaulted by another student who had consumed alcohol ( National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022 )
• Sexual Assault:  Research has confirmed a trend of 1 in 5 college women being sexually assaulted during their time in college. Most sexual assaults on college/university campuses tend to involve alcohol or other substances ( National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022 ).
• Academic Problems:  About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022 ).
• Health Problems, Suicide Attempts, and Other Consequence:  More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use. Further, there is a relationship between problematic use of alcohol and physical injuries, unsafe sexual behaviors, vandalism, involvement with law enforcements, and driving under the influence (DUI)/driving while intoxicated (DWI) ( National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022 ).
• Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD):  A national student conducted in 2018 found that about 11 percent of full-time college/university students between the ages of 18 and 22 tend to meet diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) during the past year ( National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022 ).   

Additional Resources

For more information about alcohol use and abuse in college/university settings, you can review the following list of resources publicly available from NIAAA and SAMHSA:

NATIONAL INSTITUTES ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM (NIAAA) :

• Alcohol Facts and Statistics
• College Drinking
• College Students Head Back to Campus in an Uncertain Time

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (SAMHSA) :

• FACTS on College Student Drinking
• FACTS on Underage Drinking
• MYTHS versus FACTS: Underage Drinking
• Talking with Your College-Bound Young Adult About Alcohol