What is a Brief Alcohol Intervention for alcohol misuse?
Below are the most common components of brief interventions/counseling that have been shown to decrease drinking: 1) Expressed concern from the provider, regarding unhealthy alcohol use 2) Feedback linking the patient’s drinking to his/her health issues 3) Education about recommended drinking limits 4) Offer of explicit advice to cut down drinking or abstain 5) Follow-up 2-4 weeks later to assess the patient’s response 6) Referral to specialty addictions treatment if indicated The most effective interventions are explicitly patient centered and non-confrontational. Asking the patients’ permission to discuss, eliciting their thoughts, and using reflection are several methods recommended for engaging patients in behavior change. Longer counseling sessions are not necessarily better.4 Five minutes of advice has been shown to be as effective as 20 minutes.13 Motivational counseling may also be helpful.
