Impact of brief intervention and art therapy for alcohol users

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify the impact of brief intervention paired with art therapy in patients who use alcohol. Method: This study presents intra-group design, with 11 alcoholics in the city of Tamarana-PR, Brazil, between 2015 and 2016. A test to identify the alcohol consumption level was used at the beginning/end of the actions. Cohen’s effect size and paired t-test were used to identify the impact of the actions on the reduction of alcohol intake. Results: Six participants ceased alcohol consumption, four showed high level of consumption and one presented average consumption. The paired t-test result suggested statistically significant difference between the initial and final scores, as well as 0.76 effect size. Conclusion: The brief intervention associated with the art therapy resulted in significant impact in reducing alcohol consumption. Investing in the continuous training of primary health care professionals is crucial to consolidate the improvements achieved.