Brief intervention in primary care settings - A primary treatment method for at-risk, problem, and dependent drinkers

Primary health care providers identify and treat many patients who are at r isk for or are already experiencing alcohol-related problems. Brief interve ntions-counseling delivered by primary cave providers in the context of sev eral standard office visits-can be a successful treatment approach for many of these patients. Numerous trials involving a variety of patient populati ons have indicated that brief interventions can reduce patients' drinking l evels, regardless of the patients' ages and gender. In clinical practice, b rief interventions can help reduce the drinking levels of nondependent drin kers who drink more than the recommended limits, facilitate therapy and abs tinence in patients receiving pharmacotherapy, and enhance the effectivenes s of assessment and treatment referral in patients who do not respond to br ief interventions alone. Despite the evidence for their usefulness, however , brief interventions for alcohol-related problems have not yet been widely implemented in primary cave settings.