title: A behavioral intervention program for chronic public drunkenness offenders.
abstract: A reinforcement contingency management system for ten chronic public drunkenness offenders was evaluated for short-term effects. Chronic inebriates were provided with required goods and services through skid row community agencies contingent on their sobriety. Intoxication resulted in a five-day suspension of all goods and services. Excessive drinking behavior was assessed by direct observations of intoxication and by randomly administered breath alcohol analyses. As a result of this intervention, subjects substantially decreased their number of public drunkenness arrests and their alcohol consumption, and increased their number of hours employed. No such changes were observed in a control group that received services on a noncontingent basis. Longer-term research studies of one to two years rather than a few months would be required before any widespread use of this approach would be warranted.
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D001944:Breath Tests; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D004651:Employment; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005246:Feedback; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D008297:Male; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol