[Investigation into drinking problem of patients who visited a general hospital in central and northern Okinawa].

In Japan, many problems related to alcohol are pointed out from before. We believe that there is a unique drinking culture in Okinawa, such as a large amount of alcohol. Therefore, we estimate many people in Okinawa have a drinking problem. We conducted a survey of patients who visited general hospital (medical or surgical or orthopedic) in 2007. The purpose of this study is to collect basic data for introducing alcoholics to specialized treatment as early as possible, detecting the person who drink large amounts of alcohol, performing early intervention for people who drink large amount of alcohol, and advancing cooperation with specialized medical agencies of alcohol. As a result, Among the patients who visited general hospital in Okinawa, many problem drinkers are concentrated in the young age. and they have strong fears of health. The possibility of early intervention with intervention techniques, such as brief intervention, has been suggested.