Self-Selected Brief Alcohol Intervention for Adolescents

Alcohol use among youth continues to be a major concern for this nation, with a large proportion of adolescents increasing their alcohol consumption as they transition from the 6th to the 8th grade. Although many adolescents experience alcohol-related problems, few actually seek help or treatment. This may be because traditional intervention approaches are not well suited for this age group. It is important to understand where adolescents turn to when they want to get help. The current project focuses on developing an alcohol intervention program for younger adolescents. We will conduct biannual surveys at two middle schools to assess alcohol and drug use patterns over three years. In years 2 and 3, we will implement an intervention in one of the schools.We will examine whether the intervention has an impact on subsequent alcohol use.