Alcohol screening & brief intervention
Alcohol screening and brief intervention programs identify persons with harmful or hazardous alcohol consumption before health and social consequences become pronounced, and motivate individuals to address their existing or potential alcohol problem (WHO-SBI). Such interventions can be administered in person by health care providers, trained counselors, social workers or others or through electronic devices such as computers, telephones, or mobile devices in various settings (CG-Alcohol).
Expected Beneficial Outcomes (Rated)
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Reduced excessive drinking
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Reduced alcohol-related harms
Other Potential Beneficial Outcomes
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Reduced underage drinking
Evidence of Effectiveness
There is strong evidence that alcohol screening and brief interventions reduce excessive drinking among adults when administered in primary care and general hospital settings (WHO-SBI, Cochrane-Kaner 2007, Cochrane-McQueen 2011, IAS-Anderson 2006, NICE-Jackson 2010). Such interventions have also been shown to modestly reduce alcohol-related injuries (NICE-Jackson 2010, Cochrane-Dinh-Zarr 2004). Electronic screening and brief interventions (e-SBI) reduce excessive drinking and alcohol-related harms (CG-Alcohol).
Alcohol screening and brief interventions can reduce alcohol consumption among college students (NIAAA-College drinking 2002, Seigers 2010) and adolescents (Yuma-Guerrero 2012, NICE-Jackson 2010, IOM-Underage drinking 2004); however additional evidence is needed to confirm the strength of this effect. Such interventions appear to be more effective for men and heavy drinkers (Cochrane-Kaner 2007, Cochrane-McQueen 2011) than for women and moderate and dependent drinkers.
Alcohol screening and brief interventions appear to be cost effective approaches to reducing harmful alcohol consumption (IAS-Anderson 2006, WHO-SBI, NICE-Jackson 2010).
Impact on Disparities
No impact on disparities likely
Implementation Examples
There are large-scale alcohol screening and brief intervention programs in Brazil, South Africa, Europe, and the US. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s SBIRT program conducts demonstration projects across the country that assess and disseminate information on new SBIRT methods (APHA-SBI Manual 2008, SAMHSA-SBIRT).
Implementation Resources
NHMA-SBIRT 2006 - National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA). NHMA screening and brief intervention toolkit for the Hispanic patient. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), US Department of Transportation (US DOT); 2006.
CDC-Higgins-Biddle 2009 - Higgins-Biddle J, Hungerford D, Cates-Wessel K. Screening and brief interventions (SBI) for unhealthy alcohol use: A step-by-step implementation guide for trauma centers. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC); 2009.
APHA-SBI Manual 2008 - American Public Health Association and Education Development Center, Inc (APHA). Alcohol screening and brief intervention: A guide for public health practitioners. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), US Department of Transportation (US DOT); 2008.
CRR-SBIRT - Community Recovery Resources (CRR). Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral (SBIRT) program: an early intervention for those at risk of developing substance abuse disorders.
Citations - Evidence
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IAS-Anderson 2006 - Anderson P, Baumberg B. Alcohol in Europe: A public health perspective. London, UK: Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS); 2006.
IOM-Underage drinking 2004 - Institute of Medicine (IOM), National Research Council (NRC), Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and Prevent Underage Drinking, Board on Children, Youth, and Families (BCYF). Reducing underage drinking: A collective responsibility. (Bonnie RJ, O’Connell ME, eds.). Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2004.
NIAAA-College drinking 2002 - Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health (NIH). A call to action: Changing the culture of drinking at US colleges. Rockville: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA); 2002.
CG-Alcohol - The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide). Excessive alcohol consumption.
WHO-SBI - World Health Organization (WHO). Screening and brief intervention for alcohol problems in primary health care.
Cochrane-Kaner 2007* - Kaner EF, Dickinson HO, Beyer FR, et al. Effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions in primary care populations. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007;(2):CD004148.
Seigers 2010* - Seigers DKL, Carey KB. Screening and brief interventions for alcohol use in college health centers: A review. Journal of American College Health. 2010;59(3):151-8.
Cochrane-Dinh-Zarr 2004* - Dinh-Zarr TB, Gross CW, Heitman E, Roberts IG, DiGuiseppi C. Interventions for preventing injuries in problem drinkers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2004;(3):CD001857.
Yuma-Guerrero 2012* - Yuma-Guerrero PJ, Lawson KA, Velasquez MM, et al. Screening, brief intervention, and referral for alcohol use in adolescents: A systematic review. Pediatrics. 2012;130(1).
Cochrane-McQueen 2011* - McQueen J, Howe TE, Allan I, Mains D, Hardy V. Brief interventions for heavy alcohol users admitted to general hospital wards. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011;(8):CD005191.
NICE-Jackson 2010 - Jackson R, Johnson M, Campbell F, et al. Screening and brief interventions for prevention and early identification of alcohol use disorders in adults and young people. Sheffield: School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) Public Health Collaborating Centre, University of Sheffield; 2010.
Citations - Implementation Examples
* Journal subscription may be required for access.
APHA-SBI Manual 2008 - American Public Health Association and Education Development Center, Inc (APHA). Alcohol screening and brief intervention: A guide for public health practitioners. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), US Department of Transportation (US DOT); 2008.
SAMHSA-SBIRT - SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS). SBIRT: Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment.