Intervention Strategies

Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT)

The majority of people who require treatment for illicit drug or alcohol use are either unaware that they need help or choose not to seek it. To combat this public health challenge, SBIRT was created to encourage health care providers to help diagnose, intervene in, and treat drug abuse before it becomes a more serious problem. Federally-funded SBIRT programs are already established in 17 states and territories.

Primary care centers, hospital emergency rooms, trauma centers, and other community settings provide opportunities for early intervention with at-risk substance users. In these settings, medical professionals screen for drug using behavior and provide brief substance abuse intervention, if necessary.

The main components of SBIRT include:

Screening – To quickly assess the severity of substance use and identify the appropriate level of treatment.

Brief intervention – To increase insight and awareness regarding substance use and motivate patients to change their behaviors.

Referral to treatment – To provide those identified as needing more extensive treatment with access to specialty care.

For more information about Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment, please see http://sbirt.samhsa.gov/about.htm

Drug Courts

A drug court can be defined as a special court given the responsibility to handle cases involving substance-abusing offenders through comprehensive supervision, drug testing, treatment services, and immediate sanctions and incentives. Drug courts can be used as a tool in the fight against meth as they combine intensive rehabilitation services for addicts with legal requirements to complete treatment. They offer longer treatment periods, an emphasis on addressing co-occurring mental health disorders, and intensive community supervision and monitoring.

For more than a decade, a number of drug courts have been extremely effective in stemming the tide of meth-affected areas of the nation. Federally-funded drug courts in California, Oregon, Hawaii, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Kentucky have been using the drug court model to successfully intervene and manage the methamphetamine-addicted offender. Drug courts in these states have used the coercive power of the justice system with effective treatment strategies to successfully intervene and manage the meth-addicted offender. 

The Bureau of Justice Assistance Drug Court Clearinghouse maintains a database of drug courts in existence or being planned throughout the nation. The Bureau has also created a resource on meth-specific treatment services by drug courts, which lists the drug courts (as of November 2006) that have developed programs to specifically treat meth-affected offenders.

Sources:

• SAMHSA: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment
• National Drug Control Strategy, 2009 Annual Report
• Office of National Drug Control Policy Screening & Brief Intervention Fact Sheet
• Drug Court Clearinghouse Project
• Drug Courts: An Effective Strategy for Communities Facing Methamphetamine
• Talking Points/Statistics on Drug Courts