The aim of the study was to describe how nurses experience to handle the alcohol issues among young people and how they can identify young people’s alcohol problems, abuse and dependence. Empirical articles were searched in the databases Cinahl, Medline(Pubmed) and Discovery and resulted in the inclusion of 14 scientific articles. The results showed that nurses find it difficult to raise the issues of alcohol with young people, this partly because they feel that they have too little knowledge and that it is an emotional issue to raise. There is help instruments available that nursing staff can use to raise this issues and to identify alcohol problems, abuse and dependence. The usual instruments for use on adolescents are AUDIT, CRAFT and POSIT. It is important that health workers have knowledge about this, so they can identify alcohol problems, abuse or dependence among adolescents in the early stage.

The conclusion which is found is that alcohol problems, abuse and dependence among adolescents at early ages have increased considerably. Health professionals have lack of knowledge about being able to deal with issues of alcohol. There is little knowledge about how the instruments on alcohol-related issues for adolescents have to be used, which leads that questions not addressed.