Alcohol Biomarkers as Tools to Establish Risk Patterns and Guide Treatment Decisions in Repeat Intoxicated Drivers in Dane County

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Alcohol Biomarkers as Tools to Establish Risk Patterns and Guide Treatment Decisions in Repeat Intoxicated Drivers in Dane County

Bean, Pamela / Bean, Jero / Jacobson, Andrea / Smith, Karen / Harasymiw, James / Campbell, Todd

This article describes the use of the Early Detection of Alcohol Consumption (EDAC) test to guide decisions about repeat intoxicated driver risk in Dane County. Testing was conducted during the assessment interview (baseline) and every three months for a 12-month follow-up period. The EDAC identified 28% (25/89) of drivers as heavy drinkers even though 60% (15/25) of them reported full abstinence the month before testing. This information helped the assessors address drivers' state of denial at baseline and provided a more effective treatment plan based on each driver's needs. During follow-up, 30% of these drivers abstained from drinking, 34% experienced a relapse, and 35% became noncompliant with biomarker testing. Of those who relapsed, 68% returned to abstinence after biomarker information was used as brief intervention to encourage abstinence. These results are contributing to the implementation of evidence based practices in highway safety and are setting up new guidelines in Wisconsin counties as tools to assess risk and prolong recovery in repeat intoxicated drivers.