Educational Settings

Across the globe, the age of onset of adolescent alcohol use has been gradually increasing. Despite this, over half of Australian adolescents have consumed alcohol in their lifetime. Drinking rates still remain high in young adults (18-24 years), with 42% drinking above national guidelines (no more than 4 standard drinks) on a single occasion. The earlier young people start drinking the more at risk they are for long-term alcohol dependency and alcohol-related harm. The provision of brief interventions for alcohol use in educational settings could reduce such risk. 

Only one meta-analysis has examined the effects of brief interventions in high school settings, concluding that although some positive short- and medium-term benefits were identified, no definitive statements could be made about the effectiveness of BI’s for reducing adolescent alcohol use in school settings. 

Four meta-analyses have examined the effects of brief interventions in university students. Three found brief interventions significantly reduced alcohol use and related problems in university students compared to no treatment or alternative alcohol treatments, but only small effect sizes were reported. In conclusion, there is evidence for the effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions for reducing alcohol consumption and related problems in university students, compared to no or minimal alcohol treatments. There is also preliminary evidence for their cost effectiveness in university students.