because young people spend a majority of their
time in school. Few schools, however, take
advantage of this opportunity.^162 A CASA
Columbia survey of school personnel, conducted
for its 2011 report, Adolescent Substance Use:
America’s #1 Public Health Problem, found that
only 7.4 percent reported that their schools
screen all students for signs of risky alcohol or
other drug use; 9.0 percent of high school
teachers reported that their schools screen
particular groups of high-risk students for signs
of risky alcohol or other drug use.^163
The college setting also is ideal for intervening
with young people at risk via screening and brief
interventions because of the high rates of
substance use in the college population; an
estimated 67.2 percent* are risky users or have
addiction.† 169 To date, the majority of the
screening- and intervention-related research
among college students has focused on alcohol,
most likely because alcohol typically is the
substance most likely to be used by college
students.^170 Screening and brief interventions
have proven successful in reducing risky alcohol
use and its consequences in this population.^171
The Department of Education recommends the
implementation of screening and brief
intervention programs in all college health
centers.^172
- Of enrolled college students, ages 18-22.
† 43.9 percent are risky users but do not have
addiction and 23.3 percent have addiction, i.e., meet
clinical diagnostic criteria for past month nicotine
dependence and/or past year alcohol and/or other
drug abuse or dependence.
Justice Settings .............................................................................................................
Juvenile justice programs and facilities are ideal
venues for screening and brief interventions;
CASA Columbia’s 2004 report, Criminal
Neglect Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice and
The Children Left Behind, found that four of
every five children and adolescents in the
juvenile justice system are substance
involved.‡ 173 Unfortunately, jurisdictions
typically do not provide adequate screening or
brief intervention services^174 even though there
are several screening tools that have been
validated for use with juvenile offenders.^175‡ Under the influence of alcohol or other drugs while
committing their crime, test positive for drugs, are
arrested for committing an alcohol or other drug
offense, admit to having a substance use problem or
share some combination of these characteristics.Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention
of College Students (BASICS) ProgramThe BASICS program targets risky drinkers
(defined as those who drink heavily and are at
risk for or already have experienced problems
related to alcohol use) between the ages of 18
and 25.^164 Students are identified for
participation in the programs through screening
or through referral from medical, housing or
disciplinary services.^165 The program consists of
two one-hour interviews and a brief online
assessment survey about drinking habits and
history, as well as beliefs and attitudes, while
giving instructions for monitoring one’s own
drinking between interviews. In the second
interview, students receive personalized face-to-
face feedback about their alcohol use compared
with peer norms, consequences of and risk
factors for drinking and strategies for reducing
alcohol use and related problems.^166 The
BASICS program has proven to be effective and
cost-effective.^167 In one study, students who
received the BASICS intervention as college
freshmen were more likely than risky drinkers
who did not participate in the intervention to
have reduced their alcohol consumption four
years later (67 percent vs. 55 percent).^168