New Clinician’s Guide on Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much

Format: Booklet
Institute: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinician’s Guide, 2005 version, is now available free from NIAAA, online and in print, with a pocket version included. The Guide provides a research-based approach to alcohol screening and brief intervention for both primary care and mental health clinicians. Alcohol screening is simplified to a single question about heavy drinking days, with tools to screen for symptoms of alcohol abuse or dependence in patients who drink heavily (5 or more drinks in a day for men or 4 or more for women). The Guide also offers streamlined, step-by-step guidance for conducting brief interventions and managing patient care.

This valuable resource includes:

• An optional written screening tool, in both English and Spanish.
  
  
• Patient education charts on drinking patterns, beverage types, and serving sizes.
  
  
• A section on prescribing medications for alcohol dependence.
  
  
• Resources for making referrals to treatment and support groups.

Next Steps
To view the Guide online, visit www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/CliniciansGuide2005/cliniciansguide/clinicians_guide.htm. To order copies, contact the NIAAA Communications staff at 301-443-3860.