Focus on Secondary Prevention: Implications of a Study on Intervention in Social Networks

Screening and brief intervention (SBI) as a method within secondary prevention of alcohol use–related problems has experienced enormous attention and interest over the past 20 years. Initial results were very promising and great effort was put into designing screening instruments and developing different kinds of interventions. However, at the same time, the approach has generated problems in its own right. Some of these problems relate to standardization of instruments and some to criteria of inclusion into samples; others relate to the focus on the individual drinking style independent from social influences. In light of these problems, it is necessary to elaborate on the theoretical foundation, as well as on the methods used in SBI. This article introduces a method for intervening in social networks with important implications for SBI. By putting emphasis on the motivational part of SBI and including social networks in the field of intervention, it may be assumed that the approach will produce better results than heretofore. The results from a Danish qualitative study on intervening into the social network of social drinkers are presented. This study was carried out between 1991 and 1999 and involved 13 adult Danes between 35 and 45 years of age. They all had a weekly alcohol consumption of 120 to 360 g of pure alcohol and they all considered themselves to be social drinkers. The results of this study show that enhanced awareness of the person's own drinking, as well as that of peers, may influence decisions about specific drinking situations. These findings and the perspectives for SBI are discussed. Recommendations for further research are also presented.