# Extended Intervention Source: https://3rdmil.com/extended_intervention/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T20:16:29+00:00 Extended Intervention - 3rdmil - Blog [Skip to content](https://3rdmil.com/extended_intervention/#content) ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/bg_big_alt.svg) ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/shutterstock37.png) ## Extended Intervention If you want to learn how to play the piano, would you enroll in weekly one-hour lessons or a weekend intensive? Weekly lessons, right? Dr. Scott Walters agrees, and provides the reasons why this approach has a similar effect when applied to alcohol interventions. You can listen to the full presentation [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhYGpl-SBoc), but for those of you looking for the Cliffs Notes version, just scroll down. In 2002, the **[Mesa Grande](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11964100)** study suggested that brief and motivational alcohol interventions worked better than longer, more widely-used treatments. You might think a program that’s twice as long would get twice the result, but that’s not the case. Basically: sheer length is not a good predictor of outcome. Instead, beginning with a brief intervention and following it up with a series of short check-ins seems to be the most successful way to go about it. Why? Because the intervention becomes a part of everyday life, not just a one-time thing. Dr. Walters also points out that technology can play a helpful role in this follow-up process. What does this look like in practice? Let’s say that a student wanted to drink less. During their initial intervention, they could make a list of the times when they were most tempted to drink too much (Friday nights, for example). Then, each Friday morning for a month, they would receive a text with a tip. “Alternate one alcoholic drink with one glass of water” or “Skip the pre-gaming tonight,” for example. This approach was twice as likely to help smokers stay cigarette-free after six months than those who did not receive follow-up texts, so applying it to the world of alcohol interventions certainly seems to be the next logical step. ## Popular Topics: - [Alcohol](https://3rdmil.com/category/alcohol/) - [Drugs](https://3rdmil.com/category/drugs/) - [Cannabis and THC](https://3rdmil.com/category/cannabis-and-thc/) - [Vaping and Nicotine](https://3rdmil.com/category/vaping-and-nicotine/) - [Human Trafficking](https://3rdmil.com/category/human-trafficking/) - [Healthy Relationships](https://3rdmil.com/category/healthy-relationships/) - [Universities and Colleges](https://3rdmil.com/category/universities-and-colleges/) - [High Schools and Middle Schools](https://3rdmil.com/category/high-schools-and-middle-schools/) [https://3rdmil.com/?s=](https://3rdmil.com/?s=) ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/search_desktop.svg) ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/search_mobile.svg) [see all articles tablet](https://3rdmil.com/?s=) ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/search_desktop.svg) ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/search_mobile.svg) [Page 1 32](https://3rdmil.com/?s=) ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Page-1-3.svg) ## Related Articles [![bg\_sec2](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/bg_sec2-qgm4sqdgtva4y0szr7luczafz6p3apz36ubh34q1g0.webp) ## AI and Academic Integrity: How Universities Can Prevent AI Cheating and Protect Their Reputation ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Little-Squares.svg)](https://3rdmil.com/ai-academic-integrity-higher-education/) [![Cannabis\_ A\_Detailed\_Guide-img](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Cannabis_-A_Detailed_Guide-img-scaled-1-qk224g3aw94ulf50ia25tol5l5prkigud7zuec2bbk.jpg) ## The 2018 Farm Bill Explained: What Schools, Courts, and Agencies Must Know in 2026 ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Little-Squares.svg)](https://3rdmil.com/the-2018-farm-bill-explained-what-schools-courts-and-agencies-must-know-in-2026/) [![hazing prevention photo](https://3rdmil-uploads.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/06212432/hazing-prevention-photo.jpg) ## Hazing Is a Multi-Million Dollar Problem for Universities: Here’s Why Prevention Matters ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Little-Squares.svg)](https://3rdmil.com/cost-of-hazing-universities/) [![Screenshot 2026-05-07 110053](https://3rdmil-uploads.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/07160103/Screenshot-2026-05-07-110053.png) ## Course Highlight: Hazing & Hosting ![](https://3rdmil.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Little-Squares.svg)](https://3rdmil.com/course-highlight-hazing-hosting/) [https://3rdmil.com/?s=](https://3rdmil.com/?s=)