Alcohol.

It's not easy to avoid on most college campuses, and Penn State is no exception. Some people run into it head on and become addicted.

According to a recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report on alcohol consumption on college campuses, 4 percent of students drink every day. According to a Wall Street Journal poll, one-sixth of the students questioned identified themselves as heavy drinkers.

And Penn State fits the national average, said Natalie Croll, assistant director of the Office of Health Promotion and Education.

That means about 1,240 University Park undergraduate students drink every day, and about 5,660 consider themselves to be heavy drinkers.

But the difference between a problem drinker and an alcoholic is the behavior of the drinker and the consequences -- not the amount of alcohol consumption, said Karen Checketts (graduate-counselor education), the graduate coordinator for intervention for the Drug Education Program for Total Health.

She said drinkers who think they might have a problem should ask themselves four questions:

-- Have you ever thought about cutting down, or has anyone suggested that you should cut down?

-- Do you get annoyed when people discuss your drinking with you?

-- Do you ever feel bad or guilty about drinking?

-- Do you ever have an "eye-opener" or drink to relieve a headache?

Checketts said a "yes" answer to any two of those questions indicates the drinker should talk to a professional; three "yes" answers indicate severe problems 75 percent of the time; and a "yes" to all four questions strongly indicates alcoholism.

But the drinker needs to talk to someone in the addictions field, she said.

"You can't do a self-diagnosis -- you need to go talk to someone who's a professional," Checketts said.

Often, the drinker denies his or her problem, and friends or loved ones are forced to confront the situation. Checketts suggested that a group of friends approach the drinker. She also said nobody should take an alcoholic's threats of violence or suicide lightly.

DEPTH, located in 237 Ritenour, offers help for people in that situation.

Once the alcoholic or problem drinker realizes he or she has a problem, there are a number of options. Checketts suggested the drinker make an appointment to talk to a DEPTH counselor.

"We can do an intake to assess the severity of the problem," she said, adding that all information is confidential.

DEPTH then refers drinkers to University programs, community programs, outside counseling services or a combination of those.

Students may be referred to the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services in 237 Ritenour. The staff at CAPS includes psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. Services are free to full-time University students, and selected services are free for part-time students. Students having a crisis can call 863-0395 24 hours a day or visit the Urgent Care Clinic in Ritenour.

"What we do offer is individual counseling," said Dennis Heitzmann, psychologist and director of CAPS. Students are allowed to have as many as 10 individual meetings per year.

"That's generally not sufficient itself to get the job done," Heitzmann said. "It's clear that services for the treatment of alcohol abuse are limited on this campus. We don't claim specialized or exclusive expertise in the treatment of addictions. Consequently, we rely to a great extent on community resources to assist students."

One of those resources is Lawrence Clayton and Associates, 230 S. Fraser St.

Theresa Crossen, a certified addictions counselor, usually starts clients out with one visit per week.

"One hour per week is guidance and education, as opposed to having changes made for you," she said. "My next step would be to take a look at the availability for intensive outpatient services."

Crossen said full-blown rehabilitation programs are not always necessary, and outpatient services can be more cost-effective. But she does refer clients to inpatient programs if she believes they need them.

All counseling services are confidential.

"Counseling can be a good place for private issues," Crossen said. "I'm bound by law to keep my mouth shut."

Checketts, Heitzmann and Crossen all note that many of their clients attend Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous in conjunction with their programs.

"AA and NA are an outside social support," Crossen said. "The principles -- when somebody starts working them -- work."

AA has meetings every day of the week in State College. Those interested can call 237-3757 to learn about times and locations. If the caller is having a crisis, the operator will put him or her in contact with an AA member of the same gender.

AA and NA members get together at meetings to share their experiences and get moral support from others. The groups can include anybody from high school students to senior citizens; a lot of State College meetings are heavily populated with students.

"That's one of the big myths of AA, that it's a bunch of old men sitting around smoking," Crossen said. AA has special meetings for college age and younger people Tuesday nights.