Brief intervention

Brief intervention is a technique used to initiate change for an unhealthy or risky behaviour such as smoking, lack of exercise or alcohol misuse. As an alcohol intervention it is typically targeted to non-dependent drinkers whose drinking may still be harmful. It is a prevention approach typically carried out by health roles helping at-risk drinkers make an informed choice about their alcohol use.

Crucially brief intervention includes 'screening' or 'identification' whereby a persons drinking risk level is assessed using a validated tool such as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Brief intervention may often be referred to as Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI), or in England, 'Identification and Brief Advice' (IBA).

It works in two ways:

For alcohol misuse, the following elements have been identified as particularly important, and forming the acromym FRAMES:

Brief interventions are based on motivational interviewing techniques.

Motivational interviewing is a technique which aims to be both non-judgmental and non-confrontational. Its success depends largely on the presentation of objective feedback based on information provided by an individual. The technique involves acknowledgement that individuals who attend a counselling session, assessment or prevention program may be at different levels of readiness to change their alcohol consumption patterns, including:

The technique attempts to increase a person's awareness of the potential problems caused, consequences experienced, and risks faced as a result of patterns of alcohol consumption. As feedback is presented, the clinician or program provider may foster the development of discrepancies between the perception that someone has of themselves and the reality of that person's situation.

This technique acknowledges that people may come to a counseling session, an assessment, or a prevention program at different levels of readiness to change their drinking behavior. Some people may have never thought of making changes in their drinking, others may have thought about it but not taken steps to change it, some may be actively trying to cut down, and others may have already cut down, and succeeded in maintaining reduced consumption. Motivational Interviewing attempts to address the specific issues that people are facing at any particular stage.

In short, the strategy seeks to prompt individuals to think differently about their use of alcohol and ultimately consider what might be gained through change.

When the assessment is complete, people receive personalized feedback about their alcohol consumption and related behaviors. For instance, 'feedback' highlights that the person's drinking may be placing their health at risk, and is above recommended consumption guidelines. In groups (e.g., a social fraternity or sorority), feedback can be given based on data collected from group members prior to an intervention program. Some researchers have used mailed feedback after collecting data on a questionnaire such that no face-to-face interaction actually occurs.

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