Experience has shown that even a few short discussions with a health professional can help a problem drinker. Now, a new study has found that counseling by telephone can be equally effective in curbing excessive drinking.
Writing in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, researchers suggested such counseling could be good for hard-to-reach patients. It also uses fewer resources than face-to-face meetings.
The researchers, led by Dr. Richard Brown of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, worked with almost 900 patients at 18 Wisconsin clinics, half of whom were given just pamphlets and the remainder receiving counseling.