Alcohol Screening and Brief Interventions for College Freshmen

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students using theory-driven harm reduction brief motivational interviewing (BMI) for decreasing high-risk drinking and negative consequences. Three surveys were administered to 102 volunteer freshmen college students at baseline and 3 months postintervention. The BMI intervention was administered at baseline and 2 weeks later. Descriptive statistics and summary graphs were used to determine longitudinal changes in drinking quantity, frequency, and negative outcomes. Number of drinks, hours of drinking, and negative consequences decreased, indicating a significant decrease in alcohol consumption and negative consequences. This study contributes valuable implications for the design of theory-driven harm reduction, evidence-based interventions for high-risk drinking among freshmen college students.