Abstract
New Zealand has high rates of acute alcohol-related harm relative to chronic harm, and when compared with other countries. Acute harm is typically caused by binge drinking. New Zealand alcohol use surveys consistently find that about 20–25% of adult drinkers binge drink. There is substantial overseas evidence that alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) in primary health care is effective and cost-effective for reducing alcohol harm among binge drinkers. However, while there is also growing evidence that alcohol SBI can successfully be implemented in New Zealand, the approach has been significantly under-utilised. This article provides a brief overview of New Zealand research that supports a case for increasing the use of alcohol SBI in primary health care. It also highlights that when looking to successfully implement alcohol SBI in other settings, it is important to ensure that the intervention is simple and purpose-built for both the setting and recipient.
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