**1.4 Brief interventions for harmful substance use**

BI is a treatment strategy structured in nature, short duration (around 5−30 minutes) offered with the aim to assist an individual to cease or reduce the use of psychoactive substances [31]. It generally aims to moderate a person's substance consumption to sensible levels and to eliminate harmful drinking practices rather than to insist on complete abstinence from drinking—although abstinence may be encouraged, if appropriate. Brief interventions typically consist of one to four short counselling sessions with a trained interventionist (e.g., physician, psychologist and social worker) [31]. The specific stages of change include Pre-contemplation (not thinking about changing), Contemplation (thinking about change, weighing up the pros and cons and information/resource gathering) and Action (actually cutting down or stopping) [32]. But the technique of FRAMES (feedback, responsibility, advice, menu, empathy, self-efficacy) and motivational interviewing has been used in a large number of studies to facilitate a change in the behaviour [33, 34].
