What you need to know — ASAP
Sponsored by the Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative
April 1st launches Alcohol Awareness month. Dr. George Dreher released an open letter to the medical and health care community in Maine about the importance of Screening and Brief Interventions.
Screening and Brief Interventions (SBI) are a critical tool for medical and health care professionals. Routine SBI’s could save lives while assisting individuals seeking medical attention in Emergency Rooms get the help they need. According to a 2008 report from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, SBI is one of the top 5 cost-saving reductions.
How common is the problem? According to the National Household Survey: 29 percent of Maine youth age 12-20 drink and 20 percent binge drink; 7.59 percent of people 12 and older meet the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse and 3.17 percent meet the criteria for drug dependence or abuse; and 14 percent of people 18-25 have used a prescription pain reliever non-medically.
Youth alcohol use in the County is slightly lower than State rates. In the 2009 Maine Integrated Youth Survey, 26.4 pecent of County youth in grades 7-12 reported drinking alcohol at least once in the last 30 days.
In contrast, Aroostook County has one of the highest rates of adult heavy alcohol use (1-2 drinks/day in the past month) among the eight public health districts in Maine. In fact, Aroostook’s rate of 7 percent of adults reporting heavy alcohol use is second only to Cumberland County (8.1 percent), according to CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2007-08.
Dr. Dreher states “Patients often try to change their substance use habits because a health care provider educates them about the associated risks and expresses concern for their health.” If you are a health care professional, we urge you to think about adding routine screening into your practice. For a resource about integrating routine screening check out the NIAAA’s Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinician’s Guide with Free CME/CE Credits at www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/EducationTrainingMaterials/CME_CE.htm
This article is brought to you by MAPSA and ASAP Coalition Alcohol Workgroup members: Aroostook Chiefs of Police, CADET, Community Voices, Healthy Aroostook, Power of Prevention and WAGM-TV.
