Quick fixes for dangerous youth drinking can work.

2004 MAR 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Brief interventions that encourage college students to cut back on bingeing and other dangerous drinking habits may work better in women than men, a new study suggests.

After the students provided information on their drinking habits in periodic surveys, they received personalized letters containing preventive messages about risky drinking behaviors. Women who received the letters were significantly more likely to cut back on their drinking with each letter received.

However, the intervention did not have any affect on men's drinking habits, according to Robert LaForge, ScD, of the University of Rhode Island.

The LaForge study, along with others published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, suggests brief counseling can be an effective way of preventing high-risk drinking among young adults.

"Research suggests these effects persist months and even years after encounters consisting of as little as 5 minutes of advice to reduce consumption," Mary Larimer, PhD, of the University of Washington said.

These interventions probably work best in youth who may have risky drinking habits but are not alcoholics, which would include most college students, according to John B. Saunders, MD, of the University ...