Doctors Urged To Look for Alcohol Abuse

U.S. health officials are urging doctors to ask patients about alcohol use before a problem turns into alcoholism. The Washington Post reported on the effort June 17. The latest tool is a video. It shows doctors how to screen their patients for alcohol abuse. The guidelines urge doctors to ask each man a basic question: “How many days in the past year have you had five or more drinks?” For a woman, the number is four drinks. Officials hope doctors will screen for alcohol abuse as many of them do now for depression, the Post reported. The guidelines come from the National Institutes of Health.