Table 2.

Suggested Language for Brief Motivational Interviewing Steps by HIV Care Providers

Step 1: Assess risk

Example: excessive drinking

Think back over the past 3 months. How many days in a typical week did you have at least one drink of any alcoholic beverage? And, on a typical day, how many drinks did you drink?

Example: binge drinking

How many times over the past 3 months did you have five or more drinks on one occasion? (For women: four or more drinks)

Step 2: Give clear recommendations

Specifically for women …

I recomend you limit your drinking to no more than one drink per day, and never as many as four or more drinks on any one occasion.

Specifically for men …

I recomend you limit your drinking to no more than two drinks per day, and never as many as five or more drinks on any one occasion.

Step 3: Assess patient’s readiness to change

On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means not at all ready and 10 means extremely ready, how ready would you say you are to consider cutting back on the amount of alcohol you generally drink?

Follow-up to their answer:

I’m assuming you picked that number because you’re ready to make this change (or unsure about making a change, or not ready to change). Am I understanding you?

Step 4: Provide options

Here are some options. Which ones might you try?

Ready to change: Cut back on your alcohol use Quit all alcohol use Contact an agency or program for support

Unsure: Plan to stay safer when drinking Contact an agency or program for support Write a list of what making a change in your drinking would mean to you

Not ready to change: Plan to stay safer when drinking Think about what you like and don’t like about using alcohol Discuss your alcohol use with someone you trust

Step 5: Support self-efficacy

The first step in making a change in one’s drinking is to make a firm decision and commitment to do so. Only you can make the decision for yourself. I’m confident that if you stay committed to your decision, you’ll find a way to do it.