Problem drinkers are at risk for, or have already experienced negative consequences associated with drinking. There are estimated to be four times as many problem drinkers as there are alcoholics, and the majority of personal, family, and societal costs of excessive alcohol consumption appear to be associated with episodes of heavy drinking among this group of non-dependent problem drinkers. The proposed project evaluates and compares the efficacy of two brief intervention strategies and compares the mechanisms associated with changes in consumption for each intervention. Applying an intensive daily process methodology before and after brief intervention, this study evaluates prospectively changes in the temporal associations among emotions, social situations, coping efforts and drinking as a function of the type of intervention offered. Using a palm-top computer, 120 non-dependent problem drinkers monitor these hypothesized drinking cues for three weeks. They are then randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) brief (three-week) intervention based on a Coping Skills model, which specifically identifies alternative ways of responding to high risk emotional cues and social situations associated with problem drinking; (2) brief (three-week) Motivational Intervention which explores readiness to change problem drinking; or (3) Waiting List Control. After the brief intervention or three weeks on the waiting list, the three-week daily process assessment is repeated. The two active treatment groups are followed-up six months later. This is the first study using daily process methods to examine the mechanisms of behavior change associated with brief interventions for problem drinkers.
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