Alcohol Use Conversations Tool

Alcohol Use Conversations Tool

Online Module

Created by: the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the American College of Physicians (ACP)

Created: November 2025

Overview

Discussing alcohol use with patients can be challenging, especially when trying to balance clinical guidance with empathy, respect, and motivational interviewing techniques. This 30-minute learning experience uses an AI-powered conversation tool to help clinicians practice empathetic, motivational interviewing techniques when discussing risky alcohol behaviors with patients.

This tool is grounded in the FRAMES model and supports skill-building in brief, 10-minute interventions to promote patients' behavior change. After a brief overview of motivational interviewing and the FRAMES model, learners engage in realistic scenarios with three virtual AI patients and receive personalized feedback to support ongoing improvement.

The target audience for this activity includes physicians, nurse practitioners and nurses, pharmacists, and physician associates (PAs).

This activity addresses the following ACGME Competencies: Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Practice-based Learning and Improvement, and Professionalism.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, learners will be able to:

• Improve comfort and ability to have empathetic patient conversations around alcohol use.
• Understand the principles and techniques of motivational interviewing.
• Apply motivational interviewing techniques, including the FRAMES model (Feedback, Responsibility, Advice, Menu of options, Empathy, Self-efficacy), during a patient interaction.
• Support patients to create personalized, judgment-free goals for reducing or managing alcohol use.

Registration

This education is made available for free to all learners through grant funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant number 1H79TI086771-03 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Cancellations

All cancellation requests must be made in writing to pcssmaud@asam.org within 90 days of registration. Automatic cancellations and notifications will be made for any course with a live-activity component that has been cancelled.

Registration Deadline: 08/30/2027

Close Access Date: 09/30/2027

Instructions

1. Click on the Contents tab to begin this activity.
2. Click Complete Pre-Activity Survey to rate your confidence before completing the activity. 
3. Click View Microlearning Activity to review a 2-minute activity introducing motivational interviewing and the FRAMES model.
4. Click Practice with the Alcohol Use Conversations Tool to begin conversations with three virtual patients. Detailed instructions about how to use the tool and background information on the patients are included when you open the tool. You will have ten minutes to speak with each patient, and will receive detailed feedback after you finish each conversation.
5. Click Complete GPRA Survey to complete the SAMHSA GPRA Survey.
6. Click Complete Post-Activity Survey to provide valuable feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window. 
7. Click the button Claim Medical Credits in the box titled Claim Credit & Certificate. Choose the type of credit and click submit. Click the button View/Print Certificate to save or print your certificate.
8. For Pharmacists ONLY: Complete the task entitled "Enter Pharmacist CPE Monitor Information (Required for Pharmacists)". Pharmacists must claim credit and provide their eProfile ID and Birthdate via the Pharmacist CPE Monitor Information survey within 30 days of completing the activity. ASAM will not report CPE Credits claimed 30+ days after activity completion to ACPE. ASAM will not report CPE Credits without accurate and complete information. Courses offering CPE Credit will indicate the amount of credit available for pharmacists on the Credits & Disclosure Tab.

Need Assistance?

For assistance logging in, accessing activities, claiming credit, or for other questions or concerns, please check the FAQ page, or contact pcssmaud@asam.org.

Accreditation & Credits

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, the American Society of Addiction Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credits Available

• Physicians: .5 Credits
• Nurses & NPs: .5 Nursing Contact Hour
• PAs: .5 Credit
• Pharmacists: .5 Credit
• Interprofessional Continuing Education: .5 Credit
• This activity does not offer NBCC Contact Hours or NAADAC CE Credits

  American Society of Addiction Medicine has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7062. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. American Society of Addiction Medicine is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC)/Continuing Certification Program (CCP)

This activity is designed to meet the requirements for MOC/CCP for several primary physician boards and for state licensing CME requirements. MOC Credit is only reported and designated for ABA, ABP, ABIM, and ABS. By completing the online credit application and evaluation, the learner permits ASAM to report credits to the appropriate Board. Learn more.

• ABIM MOC Points: .5 Medical Knowledge
• ABP MOC: .5 Lifelong Learning & Self-Assessment
• ABS Continuing Certification: .5 Accredited CME
• ABA MOCA 2.0®*: .5 Lifelong Learning 

MOCA 2.0® is a trademark of the American board of Anesthesiology®.
This activity contributes to the patient safety CME requirement for Part II: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment of the American board of Anesthesiology's (ABA) redesigned Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program® (MOCA®), known as MOCA 2.0®. Please consult the ABA website, https://www.theaba.org/, for a list of all MOCA 2.0 requirements.

Additionally, this activity has been designed to satisfy the requirements of the following primary physician board certification requirements. Please confirm with your individual Board.

• American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM)
• American Board of Preventative Medicine (ABPM)
• American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)

Certificates for other professions

All participants may request a certificate of participation upon completion of the activity and an online evaluation confirming their participation. Learners are strongly advised to contact their professional licensing board or professional association to confirm this certificate will be accepted as evidence supporting continuing education requirements.

Disclosure Information

In accordance with the disclosure policies of ASAM and Joint Accreditation, the effort is made to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all accredited continuing education activities. These policies include identifying and mitigating all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for those involved in the creation and dissemination of accredited continuing education.

See the attached pdf for a list of disclosures.