Scope of the problem

Alcohol use by adolescents is a leading public health problem in the USA resulting in related harms from violence and accidents and in death (eg, homicides, suicides and motor vehicle crashes).1 ,2 Associated with impaired development,3 adolescents who abuse alcohol oftentimes possess intrapersonal risk factors including aggression, problems with emotional regulation and low-harm avoidance.4

Although intervention for adolescents who abuse alcohol usually involves substance abuse treatment programmes, there is convincing evidence to support immediate brief intervention (BI) for this population in medical settings including emergency departments (EDs) and primary care. BIs are one option and are typically delivered to adolescents in medical settings or school thereby capitalising on a critical …