Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Screening and Brief Counseling (ASC)

Alcohol Use Disorder is the most common substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States (SAMHSA, 2022b) and commonly co-occurs with other mental health disorders (NIAAA, 2022). 

Going forward, you will see a new alcohol use screening question included in the adult assessment which should be asked of clients directly during the clinical interview and a few follow-up items for you to fill out on your own depending on the client’s answer.

This newly added measure is intended to promote screening for unhealthy alcohol use and brief counseling which have been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption. It can reduce how much alcohol a person drinks on an occasion by 25% (CDC, 2020). We will also use this information to fulfill federal reporting requirements and to inform quality improvement efforts. Additionally, this will help us better identify client needs and provide brief counseling responsive to screening results. 

While collaborative documentation can help you best capture client information, we understand that it isn’t always possible. If you are taking notes or capturing information to document later, please be sure to ask the new question and provide brief intervention(s) as indicated in the instructions below.

For precise instructions on how to use please use the following link:

KB - Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Screening and Brief Counseling (ASC) (sharepoint.com)