As part of National Alcohol Screening Day, free alcohol screenings will be available today at the Holmes Student Center and at the Ben Gordon Center.

NIU’s Health Enhancement Services and the Counseling & Student Development Center will sponsor a screening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Holmes Student Center. Screenings also will be available from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Ben Gordon Center, 12 Health Services Drive.

“Students will be allowed to speak freely and discuss whatever issues they may be facing with alcohol, whether it’s themselves, a family member or a friend,” said Amy Franklin, a health educator at Health Enhancement Services. “It’s important for students to remain safe, and that is what the screening is for.”

Health educators also will give out handouts with frequently asked questions as well as answers and insight about how to deal with alcoholism to anyone who may be concerned or curious about problems with alcohol, Franklin said. Students also will be told how to use alcohol safely and how to avoid becoming dependent on alcohol.

“We are here to listen to the students’ problems and concerns about someone they may be worried about, a way to interpret who may be having a problem with alcohol and what to do and to discuss with them how to recover,” Franklin said.

In an April 2000 survey conducted by Health Enhancement Services, results showed that most NIU students consumed zero to four drinks on average per week.

For more information on the alcohol screenings, call the Ben Gordon Center at 756-4875, ext. 218, or the CSDC at 753-1206.