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Helping Patients
with Alcohol Problems:
A Health Practitioner's Guide
FOREWORD
This Guide was developed by the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in conjunction with an interdisciplinary
working group of alcohol researchers and health professionals. The
clinical recommendations in this Guide are based on the findings of
more than a decade of research on the health risks associated with
alcohol use and on the effectiveness of alcohol screening and intervention methods. NIAAA plans to update this Guide periodically to reflect
continuing advances in research.
NIAAA would like to acknowledge the contributions of members
of the Working Group on Screening and Brief Intervention, including the
following: John Allen, Ph.D.; Peter Anderson, M.D.; Thomas Babor, Ph.D.;
Kendall Bryant, Ph.D.; David Buchsbaum, M.D.; Jonathan Chick, M.D.;
Frances Cotter, M.A., M.P.H.; Michael Fleming, M.D., M.P.H.; Richard K.
Fuller, M.D.; Nick Heather, Ph.D.; Yedy Israel, Ph.D.; Cherry Lowman, Ph.D.;
William R. Miller, Ph.D.; Judith Ockene, Ph.D.; and Allen Zweben, D.S.W.
NIAAA also would like to thank other collaborators, including the
following: Michael Fleming, M.D., M.P.H., and Frances Cotter, M.A.,
M.P.H., for their leadership in writing this Guide; the College of Family
Physicians of Canada Alcohol Risk Assessment and Intervention (ARAI)
Project Steering Committee for sharing their expertise and early drafts of
brief intervention materials; and Eve Shapiro and colleagues at CSR,
Incorporated, for their expertise in editing and designing this Guide.
Return to Table of Contents.
Letter from NIAAA Director
Dear Colleagues:
As a primary care physician, you are in an excellent position
to identify and manage patients at risk for alcohol-related problems.
Alcohol-related problems are common in primary care practice: An
estimated 25 percent of adults in the United States either report drinking
patterns that put them at risk for developing problems or currently have
alcohol-related problems, including alcohol abuse or dependence.1 Primary
care physicians are the entry point into the health-care system for many
individuals. Furthermore, because you are concerned with the overall health
of an individual, you generally see patients more frequently than do other
health-care professionals.
Primary care physicians are busy. Yet you want to practice good
medicine and are willing to take time to address your patients' alcohol
problems. This Guide, prepared by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism, provides you with a step-by-step approach to identifying
and managing these problems and offers practical advice on making alcohol
screening, assessment, and brief intervention procedures a routine part of your
clinical practice. There are important reasons for doing so. Untreated alcoholism results in a variety of social, economic, and medical consequences. Alcohol
use can complicate treatment for medical problems, interfere with prescribed
medications, or lead to adverse side effects. Most importantly, left untreated,
alcohol abuse and alcoholism often result in severe or fatal outcomes.
Your patients look to you for advice about the risks and benefits
associated with drinking. Research, in fact, demonstrates that simply discussing your concerns about alcohol use can be effective in changing many
patients' drinking behavior before problems become chronic.
We commend this Guide to your attention and hope that you will
make it an integral part of your practice.
Enoch Gordis, M.D.
Director
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Next Section: What Patients Should Know about Alcohol Use
Return to Table of Contents.
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Additional Information
Substance
Abuse
FPN_7_7
Problem
Drinking
Alcohol
Abuse
Depression
FPN_7_14
Tobacco Use
and Dependence
Domestic
Violence
FPN_7_18
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