Brief encounters
Help for that morning-after feeling
There are many reasons why people feel rough the morning after the night before. Wondering exactly what happened with the stranger in the bed often goes hand-in-hand with vows to never drink again. Problem alcohol use is on the increase, and is thought to be one factor in risky sexual behaviour; therefore, it makes sense to address the two issues at the same time. Researchers in a sexual health service in Australia used a validated screening tool (AUDIT) and found that almost 40% of patients were problem drinkers. These patients were recruited to a trial of a brief 5–10 minute intervention, Drink-less, which was found to be acceptable and effective. Interestingly, the authors found that alcohol consumption also decreased in the control group and they suggest …
