Alcohol consumption can be reduced through brief medical interventions: study

Short one-on-one discussions about alcohol consumption in a doctor’s office may reduce patients' drinking levels, according to a study.

"A reduction of one drinking day per month may not sound like much, but small individual reductions can add up to a substantial reduction in population level harms," Emily Tanner-Smith, lead author and associate professor at the University of Oregon, said in a news release posted to EurekAlert on Thursday.

Study authors noted that the findings were inconclusive for brief interventions delivered in emergency department and trauma centers, but did take effect when conducted in general medical settings, like a primary care clinic.