What every mental health professional should know about alcohol.

Mental health professionals are playing an increasing role in the treatment of alcohol problems. Yet many such professionals have had little specialized training in this area. This article presents a 50-item self-assessment quiz regarding basic knowledge that might be expected of professionals treating alcohol problems. Expanded answers are provided, along with normative data from samples of clinical psychology students and Ph.D. alumni. Students currently in training scored significantly higher on this quiz than did graduated clinical psychologists, reflecting in part a higher percentage of current psychology students receiving specific training in alcohol problems.