@article{ref1,
title="Efficacy of Physician-delivered Brief Counseling Intervention for Binge Drinkers",
journal="American journal of medicine",
year="2010",
author="Rubio, Gabriel and Jiménez-Arriero, Miguel Angel and Martínez, Isabel and Ponce, Guillermo and Palomo, Tomas",
volume="123",
number="1",
pages="72-78",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Binge drinking is a common pattern of alcohol use in the US. However, no studies have evaluated the effectiveness of brief interventions targeting only binge drinkers. METHODS: Randomized controlled clinical trial with a 12-month follow-up period conducted from March 1, 2003 to March 1, 2006 in Spain. Of a screened population of 15,325 patients seeking routine medical care from their primary care providers, patients who met inclusion criteria were randomized into an experimental group (n=371) or a control group (n=381). The primary outcome measures were the frequency of binge drinking episodes and weekly alcohol intake. RESULTS: There were no significant differences at baseline between groups in alcohol use and demographic variables. At the end of the 12-month follow-up period, there were significant reductions in binge-drinking status (52.2% vs 67.2%, P <.001), number of episodes of binge drinking (1.14 vs 1.56, P <.001), number of drinks weekly (19.2 vs 22.4, P <.001), and frequency of excessive alcohol intake in 7 days (47.9% vs 66.6%, P >.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study provided evidence that screening and brief counseling delivered by a primary care physician as part of regular health care significantly reduced binge drinking episodes in binge drinkers.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0002-9343",
doi="10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.08.012",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.08.012"
}