EFFECTS OF BRIEF COUNSELING AMONG MALE HEAVY DRINKERS IDENTIFIED ON GENERAL-HOSPITAL WARDS

Although the prevalence of heavy alcohol consumption among patients of general hospitals is well documented, no study has yet reported an ef fect of counselling on the ward in reducing the level of consumption a mong such patients after discharge. This study was designed to evaluat e brief counselling to reduce alcohol consumption among male heavy dri nkers identified on general hospital wards. Male patients were screene d on wards of four teaching hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Identified heavy drinkers (n = 174) showing predominantly low levels of alcohol dependence were allocated to one of two forms of brief counselling (sk ills-based counselling or brief motivational interviewing) or to a non -intervention control group. Blind follow-up for 123 patients (71%) wa s carried out approximately 6 months after discharge from hospital and self-reports of alcohol consumption were compared with collateral sou rces of information. Patients who received counselling showed a signif icantly greater mean reduction in a quantity-frequency measure of week ly alcohol consumption than controls but there were no significant dif ferences in reduced consumption between the two intervention groups. H owever, patients who were deemed ''not ready to change'' showed greate r reductions if they had received brief motivational interviewing than if they had received skills-based counselling. The implications of th ese findings for counselling mate in-patients to reduce alcohol consum ption are discussed.