Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention in an EAP

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A 1998 study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that alcohol use is the single greatest cause of performance problems and low productivity in the workplace (Mangione, Howland, & Lee, 1998; Mangione et al., 1999). It also established that non-dependent, social drinkers who occasionally drink during a workday lunch or drink too much on a work night cause the majority of alcohol-related productivity problems at the workplace. Even more troubling, this study concluded that work-places have no effective means of combating such "risky drinking." Recent evidence, however, suggests a possible means of addressing risky drinking in the workplacemscreening and brief intervention (SBI). SBI is an effective tool to reduce risky drinking that consists of administering a standardized screening instrument to identify risky drinkers, followed by brief advice or counseling to help the risky drinkers reduce or cease their alcohol consumption. SBI has been implemented in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, primary care clinics, emergency rooms, clinical research settings, and college campuses, but has not yet been formally implemented in a workplace setting. Our study design and methods are formulated to provide a comprehensive evaluation of SBI delivered through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Using a strong, randomized design, we will assess the effectiveness of SBI in reducing risky drinking behaviors and related workplace performance problems among EAP clients. We will also estimate the cost, cost-effectiveness, and benefit-cost of SBI, giving EAP administrators and employers the critical information they need to determine if SBI is a wise investment. Taken together, our findings will provide researchers, EAP professionals, employers, and policy makers with a complete picture of the costs, benefits, feasibility, and sustainability of an SBI program within an EAP.