title: [Effectiveness of brief medical counseling to reduce drinkers' alcohol consumption].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of medical counselling in reducing alcohol consumption in male heavy drinkers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A controlled, randomised, simple-blind intervention study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four Primary Care teams in Area 10, Madrid.
  
  
  METHODS
  152 men who attended for on-demand treatment from the four teams and whose alcohol consumption was over 21 International Units (IU) a week.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brief medical counselling backed up by didactic material. Two questionnaires on alcohol consumption in IU, consumption habits and problems related to alcohol were administered, separated by an interval of between 6 and 18 months. Non-parametric tests for paired samples (McNemar) were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  60% answered the second questionnaire. Neither sociodemographic nor health habit differences were found between those who responded and those who did not, except for social class. There were no appreciable differences between the intervention and control groups. The percentage of drinkers above 35 IU decreased significantly in the intervention group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intervention was clearly effective in reducing the percentage of drinkers whose weekly consumption was over 35 IU.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Salud Juan de la Cierva, Madrid.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Fernández San Martín
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bermejo Caja
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alonso Pérez
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Herreros Taberneros
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nieto Candenas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Novoa
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Marcelo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011897:Random Allocation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires