Web-Based Screening Tool Helps

 Identify Problem Drinking

An Internet-based screening tool funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was recently established to help identify problem drinkers.

“Alcohol screening involves answering a small set of questions that have been pretested to show with great accuracy the likelihood that you do or do not have an alcohol problem, as well as the severity of that problem,” explained David Rosenbloom, PhD, director of the foundation-funded Join Together, a program that supports community-based efforts to reduce, prevent, and treat substance abuse across the nation.

The screening tool, he added, is used all over the world with the approval of the World Health Organization.

“The tool doesn’t diagnose someone as alcoholic,” noted Join Together information director Anara Guard. “But, it’s valid for answering the question, ‘Is my drinking risky?’ And because this is health-based information, if your drinking is risky, you are urged to consult with a health provider to get more information.”

The screening tool, www.alcoholscreening.org, includes 13 questions, including an optional one about why you took the test (based on your own alcohol use, or someone else in mind). The site also includes an online database of more than 11,000 treatment programs, as well as support group meetings, online support groups and resources for more information.