Two Key Questions are Focus of New Teen Alcohol Screener for
Pediatricians A new alcohol screening tool that focuses on two
key questions is designed to help pediatricians spot children
and adolescents at risk for alcohol-related problems. The doctor
asks about the patient’s own drinking, as well as his or her
friends’ alcohol use. Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention
for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide, available from the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), walks the
doctor through the steps to take when patients say they or their
friends drink, and helps them assess the level of risk for
current and future alcohol problems. Screening for alcohol at a
young age is very important because alcohol is by far the drug
of choice among youth, says Vivian B. Faden, PhD, Director of
the Office of Science Policy and Communications, and Associate
Director for Behavioral Research at NIAAA. “Many kids drink, and
when they do, they tend to binge drink,” she said. According to
NIAAA, over the cour