Early intervention in patients with excessive consumption of alcohol: a controlled study

From a population of 2,114 patients attending somatic outpatient clinics, 78 patients were selected who had either an excessive consumption of alcohol according to questionnaires or a raised gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) value (above 0.6 mu kat/l) due to alcohol. They had not undergone treatment for problem drinking previously, and had no serious alcohol dependence. They were thereby classified as excessive consumers of alcohol, and randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 36) or to a control group (n = 42). Those in the intervention group were followed up by a nurse once a month and by a doctor every third month for a total of 12 months. Laboratory tests were taken monthly. Consumption of alcohol, GGT and triglyceride levels, and sickness allowance days were decreased in the intervention group compared to the time before intervention. In contrast, the number of sickness allowance days in the control group increased. There was also a tendency towards a positive effect of intervention on the number of consultations made with a statistically not significant decrease of consultations after intervention. The study thus indicates that an early and relatively simple intervention programme for problem drinkers may be effective and can be carried out at a low cost and with a positive response from the patients.