A study released last week in the Annals of Emergency Medicine suggests that just seven minutes worth of counseling from an emergency room physician can spur those engaged in hazardous and harmful drinking to reduce their alcohol consumption for at least one year.

Researchers from Yale identified 740 patients considered hazardous and harmful drinkers - men who had more than 14 drinks a week (or more than four drinks per sitting) and women who had more than seven drinks a week (or more than three at a time). Patients who received a brief screening and intervention reduced their average number of drinks from nearly 20 per week to 13 within six months. One year after their interview, these patients still drank less -- slightly more than 14 drinks per week.

Reduction in 28-day binge drinking episodes for the interview group dropped from about seven episodes to fewer than five within six months and slightly more than five episodes a year later.

Here's another bonus: One year after the physician interviews, DWI rates dropped from 38% to 29%. Among the group that received both an interview and a follow-up phone call, rates dropped from 39% to 31%.

That tens of thousands of Long Islanders annually land in emergency rooms where they sit idle for hours without any conversations about addiction, means that we are missing a golden opportunity for education and intervention. Since SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referrals to treatment) services are reimbursable by private insurers and Medicaid, it also means missed revenue opportunities for hospitals who are struggling financially.