START Center to offer free alcohol screenings

The Southwest Texas Addiction Research & Technology (START) Center will provide free, anonymous alcohol screenings from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 11, as a part of National Alcohol Screening Day. The screenings will take place in the Lecture Hall Foyer by the Subway sandwich shop in the School of Medicine building.

Participants will have the opportunity to complete a written questionnaire, hear an educational presentation and talk one-on-one with health professionals about how alcohol or the abuse of prescription medications may be affecting their health. Those who seek further assistance will be referred to local treatment facilities and support services.

The START Center serves as a center for substance abuse treatment research. Under the direction of Dr. Bankole Johnson, Wurzbach Distinguished Professor, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology and deputy chairman for research in the department of psychiatry, the START Center is both a teaching and a clinical research site. Studies focus on therapeutic interventions such as group and individual therapies and investigational medications to reduce drug and alcohol use.

For more information, call (210) 562-5433.