Brief intervention

This chapter provides a description and discussion of the theory and practice of brief alcohol intervention together with scientific evidence to support its inclusion as an "evidence-based" treatment. Epidemiological data have shown that the majority of alcohol-related problems that occur in a population are not due to the most problematic drinkers, generally individuals with alcohol dependence, but to a much larger group of hazardous and harmful drinkers. The greatest impact in reducing alcohol related reducing alcohol consumption in hazardous and harmful drinkers can make problems at a population level rather than by focusing on the most extreme or heaviest drinkers; this is sometimes known as the preventive paradox. There is a clear rationale for interventions that help reduce alcohol consumption in hazardous and harmful drinkers. Such work fits within a secondary preventive approach in terms of a public health agenda, which aims to detect health problems at an early stage, when they are likely to be most amenable to change, and then intervene to promote positive adjustments in lifestyle behavior. Brief alcohol intervention is a specific example of secondary preventive work, which aims at reducing excessive drinking and alcohol-related problems in a large section of the population.