Psychosocial interventions have been shown to be efficacious in treating heavy alcohol use or AUD.9 These include brief interventions, motivational enhancement therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, behavioral approaches, family therapies, and 12-step facilitation.9 Of these, brief interventions, which are commonly 15–20 minutes in duration, are most feasible in medical settings. When more intensive psychosocial therapy is needed (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy), it may be most feasible for a therapist trained in the specific method to provide it, in concert with a medical practitioner who can prescribe an alcohol treatment medication. A recent meta-analysis of 34 studies (N=15,197)62 showed that participants who received a brief psychosocial intervention consumed 20 g (95% CI=12–28), or about 1.5 standard drinks (see Box 1), less than those in a minimal or no-intervention comparison group after one year. However, there was little difference between groups on the frequency of drinking or binge drinking days.
