Like hypertension or tobacco screening, alcohol. screening and brief intervention (alcohol SBI) is a clinical preventive service. It identifies and helps patients who may be drinking too much.

It involves:
• A validated set of screening questions to patients’ drinking patterns,
• A short conversation with patients who are drinking too much, and for patients with severe risk, a referral to specialized treatment as warranted.

This guide is designed to help an individual or small planning team adapt alcohol SBI to the unique operational realities of their primary care practice. It takes them through each of the steps required to plan, implement, and continually improve this preventive service as a routine element of standard practice. Rather than prescribing what the alcohol SBI services should look like, the Guide will help you and your colleagues create the best plan for your unique situation.