A CROSS-NATIONAL TRIAL OF BRIEF INTERVENTIONS WITH HEAVY DRINKERS

Objectives. The relative effects of simple advice and brief counseling were evaluated with heavy drinkers identified in primary care and oth er health settings in eight countries. Methods. Subjects (1260 men, 29 9 women) with no prior history of alcohol dependence were selected if they consumed alcohol with sufficient frequency or intensity to be con sidered at risk of alcohol-related problems. Subjects were randomly as signed to a control group, a simple advice group, or a group receiving brief counseling. Seventy-five percent of subjects were evaluated 9 m onths later. Results. Male patients exposed to the interventions repor ted approximately 17% lower average daily alcohol consumption than tho se in the control group. Reductions in the intensity of drinking were approximately 10%. For women, significant reductions were observed in both the control and the intervention groups. Five minutes of simple a dvice were as effective as 20 minutes of brief counseling. Conclusions . Brief interventions are consistently robust across health care setti ngs and sociocultural groups and can make a significant contribution t o the secondary prevention of alcohol-related problems if they are wid ely used in primary care.