Brief Addiction Monitor (BAM)

Assesses substance use related behaviors.

Please ask your patient the following questions:

1. In the past 30 days, how would you say your physical health has been?

2. In the past 30 days, how many nights did you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?

3. In the past 30 days, how many days have you felt depressed, anxious, angry, or very upset throughout most of the day?

4. In the past 30 days, how many days did you drink ANY alcohol?

6. In the past 30 days, how many days did you use any illegal/street drugs or abuse any prescription medications?

8. In the past 30 days, how much were you bothered by cravings or urges to drink alcohol or use drugs?

9. How confident are you in your ability to be completely abstinent (clean) from alcohol and drugs in the next 30 days?

10. In the past 30 days, how many days did you attend self-help meetings like AA or NA to support your recovery?

11. In the past 30 days, how many days were you in any situations or with any people that might put you at an increased risk for using alcohol or drugs?

i.e., around risky “people, places, or things”

12. Does your religion or spirituality help support your recovery?

13. In the past 30 days, how many days did you spend much of the time at work, school, or doing volunteer work?

14. Do you have enough income (from legal sources) to pay for necessities such as housing, transportation, food, and clothing for yourself and your dependents?

15. In the past 30 days, how much have you been bothered by arguments or had problems getting along with any family members or friends?

16. In the past 30 days, how many days were you in contact or spent time with any family members or friends who are supportive of your recovery?

17. How satisfied are you with your progress toward achieving your recovery goals?

Result:

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Advice

If a lack of progress in scoring is noted, identify potential treatment targets and adjust the plan of care accordingly.
Significant improvements in scores over time may inform decisions for stepping down care, where clinically appropriate.

Management

While the three factor scores can aid in informing severity and progress, examining individual item scores may be the most clinically useful to identify specific areas for intervention. Examples may include:

Ensuring adequate primary care to optimize general physical health.
Referring for mental health treatment.
Referring for substance use specialty care.
Managing cravings (e.g., with naltrexone).
Providing case management to ensure access to care.
Connecting with network social support systems.

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