Brief Alcohol Counseling for Alcohol Misuse
Most patients who screen positive for alcohol misuse do not have alcohol dependence. These non-dependent patients may be offered brief alcohol counseling in the primary care setting.
Brief alcohol counseling refers to a spectrum of patient-centered interventions, lasting 5 to 20 minutes for one or more visits and typically includes the following:
- Concern expressed to patient
- Feedback regarding drinking
- Explicit advice to cut down
- View examples
In the past decade, nine systematic literature reviews have concluded that brief alcohol counseling decreases drinking in primary care patients with alcohol misuse.
Additionally, several studies of patients with alcohol misuse who had brief intervention showed decreases in systolic blood pressure, serum GGT and health care utilization.
Alcohol Assessment Tools
- Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) Overview (PDF*) - World Health Organization
- AUDIT Questions - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Assess Readiness to Change
- Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much (NIAAA Pocket Guide) (PDF) - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Brief Counseling Information for Providers
- Brief Counseling Video Example (3:48)
- Brief Counseling Dialog Example
- NIAAA Pocket Guide: Screening and Brief Intervention (PDF)
- AUDIT-C FAQ
- Care Management VA Study: Willenbring 1999
- Project TREAT - Cost-Benefit Analysis: Fleming 2002
- MDAlcoholTraining.org
Alcohol Clinical Reminder Examples
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