Rethinking Drinking

There are many reasons why it’s a good idea to limit or eliminate alcohol from your diet, but here’s one reason that many don’t know about: Alcohol use is a known cancer risk. This was established in the 1980s, and scientific evidence continues to mount. In January, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory that identified alcohol use as the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US, after tobacco and obesity. The advisory noted that drinking alcohol raises your risk of getting several specific types of cancer including mouth, throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, and breast (in women) cancers.  Alcohol use contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases per year, or nearly 1 million preventable cancer cases over a decade. This translates to 20,000 cancer deaths annually. There are other dangers related to alcohol use, such as the 13,000+ annual alcohol-impaired driving fatalities which comprise nearly a third of all fatal car accidents.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. If you’d like to practice more mindful drinking or eliminate alcohol consumption entirely to improve your health, here are some steps you can take:

• Learn more. See the blog post Alcohol and Your Health and visit the website Rethinking Drinking.  You can also log in to www.theEAP.com to explore the Substance Misuse Learning Center.
• Take an online self-assessment such as the CDC’s confidential Alcohol Use Check.
• Check out our blog post: Sober curious? We’ve got resources to help.
• Find a Meeting: Find an AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or an Al-Anon or Alateen
• Call your EAP counselor at 800-252-4555 to help you make a plan to quit or reduce your drinking.

Featured April Webinar

The Latest in Sleep Science

This session explores the latest in sleep science, what happens to the mind and body when we sleep, why it’s important to get age-appropriate rest, and how sleep impacts health and well-being. Sleep disorders, disrupted sleep, and sleep schedules are discussed. To access this Webinar and related resources, simply log in to www.theEAP.com during April.   

Feeling Stressed?

Stress levels continue to be high! With money worries, AI concerns, health scares, heavy workloads, and changes in federal regulations, there are many changes afoot and change can be hard to adapt to. April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month to bring attention to the negative impact of stress. Knowing how to manage stress can improve mental and physical well-being as well as minimize harmful impacts on health. Below are resources designed to help you recognize what stress and anxiety look like, take steps to build resilience, and know where to go for help.

• • Mental Health America offers information on the physical and mental effects, warning signs, tips for controlling stress and more.
  • The CDC offers Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress.
  • Our HR Web Cafe blog post Feeling angry, stressed, or anxious? Get help! talks about the importance of getting help and provides links to other posts on the topic of stress.

Spring Growth!

April is a time when trees and flowers bud and it feels like everything is growing and reviving. Why not jump into the spring mood with a little personal growth and renewal?  We have thousands of training topics. Check out a few suggestions below, or search for your own topics. Simply click on “Member Login” at www.theEAP.com, sign in, and click on the comprehensive training library in the “Training Center.”

• NEW! Master Emotional Self-Regulation | Course ID: SVL_4000199
  Managing emotions is crucial for mental well-being and for personal and professional success. This 26-minute video offers practical strategies and techniques to help you control your emotional responses.
• Workplace Stress | Course ID: SVL_084816
  In this 15-minute video course, learn how to cope with potentially stressful situations, recognize symptoms of stress, eliminate “stress factors,” and practice stress-relieving exercises.
• Customer Service Conversations: Five Steps to Better Service Conversations | Course ID: SVL_102366
  Whether your customers are external or colleagues in your organization, learn key phases to every interaction with guidelines for each in this 7-minute video training.

Learn More!

How to Scan a QR Code

1. Open the camera app.
2. Select the rear-facing camera in Photo mode.
3. Center the QR code you want to scan on the screen and hold your phone steady for a couple of seconds.
4. Tap the notification that pops up to open the link. (You will need to be connected to the internet to do this.)