Brief intervention in the workplace for heavy drinkers: a randomized clinical trial in Japan

• Published in: Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford) Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 157 - 163
• Main Authors: Ito, Chieko, Yuzuriha, Takefumi, Noda, Tatsuya, Ojima, Toshiyuki, Hiro, Hisanori, Higuchi, Susumu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.03.2015
• Subjects: Adult; Alcohol Drinking - therapy; Alcohol-Related Disorders - therapy; Binge Drinking - therapy; Cognitive Therapy - methods; Female; Humans; Japan; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Health Services - methods; Psychotherapy, Brief - methods; Treatment Outcome; Japan
• ISSN: 0735-0414; 1464-3502
• DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agu090

To investigate the effectiveness of brief intervention (BI) conducted in the workplace for heavy drinkers. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at six companies in Japan. Participants were heavy drinkers who met the inclusion criteria and were randomized into three groups: the BI group, BI with diary group and a control group. Outcomes (total drinks, binge drinking episodes and alcohol-free days) were evaluated at 3 and 12 months. The 304 participants recruited were allocated to the three groups and 277 participated in all follow-up evaluations. Dropout rates in the respective groups were 7.0, 14.9 and 5.5%. Some improvements were observed in all the groups. In particular, alcohol-free days in the BI group were significantly increased by 93.0% at 12 months. Total drinks at 12 months were reduced by 41 g per week in the BI group compared with the control group, although the intergroup difference was not significant. BI in the workplace is effective for increasing the number of alcohol-free days. However, the effectiveness on decreasing alcohol consumption was unclear, which could be explained by alcohol screening itself causing a reduction in drinking.