Can Alcohol Screening Tools Assist to Combat Effects of Binge Drinking - Dissertation Example

Alcohol consumption among young people in the North West is higher than the national average. 16 to 24-year-olds living in the North West have higher levels of alcohol consumption than any other age group and are more likely to binge drink. Thus, this program would have to be implemented along with the help of juveniles who would assist in guiding the policy makers towards an effective and positive outlook. The terms minimal, early and brief interventions are sometimes used synonymously. They have mainly been used in primary healthcare settings and involve two broad steps: (1) screening for hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption and (2) provision of brief counseling, information, advice or referral.

Early intervention involves screening to detect and intervene before alcohol problems develop. Brief intervention can either be a form of mini-treatment conducted over a few sessions, or a brief once-only contact lasting several minutes. Heather (1996) suggests that there are two types of brief interventions. First, specialist brief interventions provided by specialist services to people seeking treatment for an alcohol problem. Secondly, opportunistic or primary care brief interventions delivered to people at the primary health care level who are not seeking help for alcohol problems.

Opportunistic brief interventions can also be conducted in community settings, as in the present study. For brief interventions to be effective, Miller & Sanchez (1993) have further suggested they need to incorporate six components summarized by the acronym FRAMES: Feedback