Screening, let alone asking, about one’s drinking patterns, is an extremely touchy subject — especially when dealing with a young person. It is an action that’s often skirted for a number of reasons: what questions do you ask, how much do you ask, will it really matter, doesn’t everyone drink at some point, how much is too much, when should you be concerned, there’s not enough time to do it properly, what if you offend them…. and the list goes on.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has developed a two question screen to help clinicians determine a young person’s drinking patterns and from there, open the door to a more comprehensive discussion. These questions, which vary slightly for elementary, middle, and high school ages, include:
The friends’ drinking question is an early warning signal that strongly predicts future drinking levels, while the personal drinking question is the best predictor of current risk for alcohol-related harm in adolescents who are already drinking. These questions can be asked quickly, an extremely important factor for clinicians and their patients.
According to NIH’s October 13, 2011, news release, “ NIH Releases Clinician’s Guide for Screening Underage Drinkers ,” “‘Routine screening and intervention for alcohol use in young people is critical to preventing the constellation of problems associated with adolescent drinking,’” says Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H., assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “’The new adolescent alcohol screening guide developed by NIAAA provides health care professionals an opportunity to engage young patients before it is too late.’”
by Lisa Frederiksen
Screening, let alone asking, about one’s drinking patterns, is an extremely touchy subject — especially when dealing with a young person. It is an action that’s often skirted for a number of reasons: what questions do you ask, how much do you ask, will it really matter, doesn’t everyone drink at some point, how much is too much, when should you be concerned, there’s not enough time to do it properly, what if you offend them…. and the list goes on.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has developed a two question screen to help clinicians determine a young person’s drinking patterns and from there, open the door to a more comprehensive discussion. These questions, which vary slightly for elementary, middle, and high school ages, include:
The friends’ drinking question is an early warning signal that strongly predicts future drinking levels, while the personal drinking question is the best predictor of current risk for alcohol-related harm in adolescents who are already drinking. These questions can be asked quickly, an extremely important factor for clinicians and their patients.
According to NIH’s October 13, 2011, news release, “ NIH Releases Clinician’s Guide for Screening Underage Drinkers ,” “‘Routine screening and intervention for alcohol use in young people is critical to preventing the constellation of problems associated with adolescent drinking,’” says Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H., assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “’The new adolescent alcohol screening guide developed by NIAAA provides health care professionals an opportunity to engage young patients before it is too late.’”
To better understand why this kind of screening is SO IMPORTANT, please read, “ How Teens Can Become Alcoholics Before Age 21 .”