ABSTRACT
Alcohol Directed Enhanced Services (DES) is a means of case-finding followed by simple alcohol advice. The aim is to make the person recognise that they are drinking harmful amounts of alcohol and that help is available if they are motivated. As a nation, our alcohol consumption has been rising for decades, and with it the harms associated with this consumption. The DES pays practices to undertake alcohol screening in patients aged 16 or over using the Fast Alcohol Screen Test or, for newly registered patients only, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption questionnaire tool. There is a growing body of evidence documenting the effectiveness of alcohol reduction and blood pressure control. Alcohol misuse and mood disorders go hand-in-hand. Recognition of alcohol withdrawal, assessment of its severity and determining which patients need admission for treatment, although a challenge, can be achieved by a vigilant general practice.
