People should record what they drink as a way of monitoring how much alcohol they consume, a new study has concluded.
Published online by the scientific journal Addiction, the study analysed the advice given by GPs in all the major clinical trials evaluating this kind of advice and looked for common components that linked to the largest reductions in drinking across the different studies.
The lead author, Professor Susan Michie, health psychologist at University College London, UK, said there were many different components of the advice. These included providing information on the harms of excessive drinking; trying to boost motivation and self-confidence; and advising on avoidance of social cues for drinking.
But it was found that the most effective piece of advice was to encourage the patient to monitor his or her alcohol consumption, typically by keeping a daily record.
“In brief interventions, it’s important to advise people how to reduce their drinking rather than just saying they ought to drink less,” she explains.
“Getting patients to record how much alcohol they drink each day provides a concrete, easy task that raises their awareness of their behaviour and how well they are doing in staying within limits that they set themselves. This may seem like common sense but common sense needs to be supported by hard evidence for it to be acted upon in official policies.”
Her comments come after the new UK alcohol strategy was published, which includes a plan to ensure that GPs advise heavy drinkers to cut down.
Identification of behaviour change techniques to reduce excessive alcohol consumption. Michie S., Whittington C., Hamoudi Z., Zarnani F., Tober G., and West R. Addiction, 107: doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03845.xs
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