The Enemy Within Our Genes Unmasked A genetic predisposition in conjunction with a stressful environment can exacerbate rampant alcohol abuse. Between midterms, finals, bad break-ups and parents, alcohol may seem like the only way to deal with the stresses of reality for some students. Once the weekend rolls around, the parties appear all over town and the alcohol is flowing like water. While it seems harmless to place all inhibition on the back burner for a few hours, this weekly ritual can be more dangerous than we would like to admit.
Students drink to feel disinhibited and released from different pressures.
In order to aid students in assessing the extent of their drinking habits, National Alcohol Screening Day, sponsored by the Orange County Psychiatry Society and the UCI Counseling Center, has been held on campus for the past five years. This year, the event was held April 5. The event has two main goals. The screening process involves filling out a survey and then discussing individual results privately with a health professional. According to Cones, the aim is not to diagnose alcoholics, but rather to point out problems or patterns that could potentially be consistent with those of alcoholism.