PEACHD project - Small steps for a healthier life
Short Advice Leaflet in english produced by PEACHD
Reducing Alcohol
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This platform offers practical guides, real-world evidence, and global examples across healthcare, social services, and workplaces to help reduce alcohol-related harm.
Welcome to the WHO Alcohol Screening and Brief Interventions (SBI) Platform
This platform brings together key resources to support health, social care, workplace and policy professionals – as well as others interested in alcohol screening and brief interventions (SBI) – to plan, deliver and scale up SBI. Alcohol SBI is an evidence-based framework which enables professionals to:
Identify the different levels of risk associated with an individual’s alcohol consumption.
Provide brief interventions which encompass meaningful, personalized, supportive, and non-judgmental conversations with individuals about their alcohol use and any risks or harms.
Facilitate onward referral for individuals requiring further assessment and specialist treatment options.
Alcohol and Health
Alcohol is a major risk factor for more than 200 diseases and injuries, including cancer, liver disease, heart disease, and mental health disorders. Reducing alcohol-related harm is a key priority for the World Health Organization (WHO) and an essential part of efforts to prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and promote health for all.
Talking about alcohol, whether in a clinic or around the kitchen table, can be a turning point. In Europe, drinking is so normalized that its harms are often left unsaid. In healthcare, many opportunities for prevention are missed when professionals hesitate to ask about alcohol.
Screening and brief interventions offer a simple, evidence-based way to reflect on drinking patterns and health. By opening the conversation, health and social care professionals can help people make informed choices and prevent a wide range of health problems. Beyond the clinic, everyday conversations with colleagues, friends, or family can also open new perspectives and support healthier communities.
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Policymakers
Alcohol SBI evidence, policy briefs and implementation resources for policy-makers
Learn moreI would like to explore...
discover resources organized by region, topic, and settings
WHO manuals on alcohol brief interventions
WHO practical guidance documents to support the implementation of alcohol screening and brief interventions
Learn moreTraining Resources
Training materials and educational tools to build skills for delivering alcohol screening and brief interventions
Learn moreResearch and evidence
Peer-reviewed articles informing alcohol screening and brief interventions
Learn moreFull collection of publications
All publications and technical documents available in the SBI Hub, including manuals, research and reports
Learn morePEACHD project: integrated brief interventions
Practical resources for addressing alcohol alongside other modifiable health risk factors through brief interventions
Learn moreLatest Publications
Find the latest publications about alcohol here...
Evaluation of brief intervention delivery by primary-care providers in the WHO European Region: BRIEF project
Brief interventions are recognized by WHO as effective for addressing the risk factors of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including smoking, alcohol consumption, insufficient physical activity, unhealthy diets and over- or underweight. There are, however, few data on the use of brief interventions or on the perspectives of health-service providers in the WHO European Region on the barriers to and facilitators of their delivery. This report is part of the BRIEF project of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The aim of the project is to advance implementation and use of integrated brief interventions for NCD risk factors in primary care in the WHO European Region. The report of this mixed-method study presents the results of a questionnaire-based survey and in-depth interviews with primary‑care providers on three main topics: current uptake of brief interventions by providers; barriers, facilitators and recommendations from providers for effective brief interventions in primary care; and policy recommendations for effective facilitation and implementation of brief interventions.
Healthier and more inclusive professional gatherings without alcohol: a short guide
This guide from the WHO Regional Office for Europe offers practical guidance for planning alcohol-free meetings, conferences, receptions, and network and workplace events. Alcohol is a leading risk factor for disease and social harm. In addition to health risks and safety concerns, its presence in professional environments can create discomfort and exclusion. Designed for workplaces and institutions committed to well-being, this guide outlines the benefits of alcohol-free gatherings, offers tips for inclusive planning and respectful communication, and includes a ready-to-use checklist, beverage recipes, sample activities and communication materials. Alcohol-free events are not about restriction; they are a way to demonstrate leadership in health promotion and optimize the health of the workforce. This guide helps make that vision a reality.
Implementing what works in alcohol policy: progress report on the SAFER initiative
Alcohol-related harm causes millions of deaths each year and remains a major, preventable obstacle to health, equity and sustainable development. This report documents progress since the 2018 launch of SAFER – WHO's initiative to help countries implement the five most effective and cost–effective alcohol policy measures: strengthening restrictions on alcohol availability; advancing and enforcing drink–driving countermeasures; facilitating access to screening, brief intervention and treatment; enforcing bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship and promotion; and raising prices through excise taxes and pricing policies. Formally mandated by the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022–2030, SAFER has become WHO's main platform for turning political commitment into delivery – implementing what works, strengthening monitoring and protecting policy-making from commercial interference. Drawing on country experiences from Uganda, Nepal and Ireland, regional peer-learning across WHO regions, and a broad network of United Nations and civil society partners, it shows how SAFER is being implemented and adapted at both national and subnational levels. It closes by setting out the priorities for the next phase – consolidating and scaling progress under the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022–2030 and towards SDG target 3.5, the global commitments to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.
Implementation levels of alcohol screening and brief interventions in routine primary healthcare check-ups across the WHO European Region
Primary health care is a key setting for implementing screening and brief interventions for alcohol, as it provides regular contact with patients and manages many conditions linked to alcohol use. Despite strong evidence of effectiveness, SBI is still not routinely implemented in many countries. Monitoring its implementation helps WHO and Member States track progress in integrating this intervention into routine primary care and identify gaps where scale-up is needed. This comparative overview shows whether SBI is routinely implemented in primary health care across WHO European Region countries, based on the WHO Global Survey on Progress with SDG Health Target 3.5 (2023).
| Andorra | No |
| Armenia | No |
| Austria | Yes |
| Azerbaijan | Yes |
| Belarus | Yes |
| Belgium | Yes |
| Bulgaria | Yes |
| Croatia | No |
| Cyprus | Yes |
| Czechia | Yes |
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