Brief interventions for alcohol misuse.

©2015 8872147 Canada Inc. or its licensors CMAJ 1 As the burden of alcohol misuse — in terms of disease, trauma and social problems — grows in Canada, increased access to brief interventions is recommended. Such access forms part of a comprehensive two-tiered response involving population-level changes, such as regulating the marketing, pricing and availability of alcohol, and more focused practices, such as education and intervention.1 In 2007, recommendations from Canada’s National Alcohol Strategy Working Group identified screening, brief intervention and referral to specialist treatment as an important strategy for reducing the negative health effects of excessive alcohol consumption, particularly injury and chronic disease.2 Here, we discuss a practical approach to the delivery of brief interventions based on evidence supporting their effectiveness (Box 1). This approach is intended for use by health care providers who determine, during the provision of primary, specialty or hospital care, that an individual is engaging in unhealthy drinking.