(HealthDayNews) -- Two 10-minute counseling sessions can dramatically change people's drinking habits -- and may be enough to get problem drinking under control.
That's what the University of Wisconsin Medical School found in a study of 774 problem drinkers.
All the drinkers got a health booklet, but half also had two short sessions with their doctors. The doctors discussed the physical and mental pitfalls of alcohol abuse.
A year later, on average, those in the counseling group had cut their weekly alcohol consumption from 19 to 11 drinks and had reduced their binge-drinking episodes by almost half -- significantly more than those who only got the booklet.
