Brief interventions are any intervention that:^1-3

• Involves a minimum of professional time in an attempt to change alcohol use.
• Should take between five minutes and two hours to administer.
• Can be represented on a continuum of care that responds to an individual’s needs.

These interventions can start by simply raising the issue of problem alcohol use through to more in-depth intervention.

Usually, brief treatment interventions have flexible goals, allowing the individual to choose moderation or abstinence.^1,2

The typical counselling goal is to motivate the client to change their behaviour and not to assign self-blame.^1,2

While much of the research to date has focused on patients with alcohol-related problems, similar approaches can also be taken with users of other substances.³

Brief interventions are utilised with less dependent drinkers.¹

They are designed to be conducted by healthcare workers who do not specialise in addictions treatment,³ conducted in face-to-face sessions, with or without written materials, self-help manuals, workbooks, or self-monitoring diaries.²

Sometimes simply providing feedback is in itself a brief intervention, it may be enough to encourage those at risk to reduce their alcohol intake.² Some interventions are aimed at specific health problems that are affected by substance abuse, rather than substance abuse itself.³

Alcohol brief interventions have been shown to reduce:⁴

• Weekly drinking by 13-34% with a significant effect on health risk.
• Drinking to low levels in 1 in 8 adults.
• The relative risks of alcohol related conditions by 14% and the absolute risk of lifetime alcohol-related death by 20%, when alcohol consumption reduced from 50 units per week to 42 units per week.

A patient’s motivation to change is not fixed. The techniques used in brief interventions have been developed to increase a person’s willingness to change.²

• Raise the issue e.g. do you drink at all?^1-3
• Use a screening tool (e.g. AUDIT-C) to assess a patient’s drinking levels.^1-3
• Use the tool’s results to discuss with the patient what their score indicates about their health risks.^1-3

• Support^5,6
• Ask and Assess^5,6
• Offer assistance^5,6
• Refer^5,6

Feedback – Tell the person what they scored. Link the drinking to the situation.⁷

Responsibility – It is the individuals own responsibility to change.⁷

Advice – Set a daily (weekly) limit. Have alcohol free days.⁷

Menu – Give them a range of options.⁷

Empathy – Empathetic, non-judgemental.⁷

Self-Efficacy – Positive message. Boost their self-confidence ‘You can do it’.⁷

• Be non-judgemental about patient’s drinking behaviour.
• Be supportive and encourage the patient.
• Be assertive but calm if faced with an angry response. Focus their attention back to any supporting data you may have such as the AUDIT-C card or patient leaflet.
• There may be instances where brief intervention may not be adequate and you feel a referral to a specialist service may be required.