title: Acceptance of moderate drinking by alcohol treatment services in the United States.
abstract: This study was designed to survey the acceptance of moderate drinking as an outcome goal by alcohol treatment services in the United States. Of a sample of 330 randomly selected services, there were 312 potential respondents of whom 196 (63%) returned surveys that were usable. Three-quarters of respondents reported that nonabstinence was not an acceptable outcome goal for patients in their program; however, 17% of these respondents endorsed the statement that nonabstinence was acceptable for patients in other alcohol programs or for their own patients after discharge. Of the remaining one-quarter of respondents who found moderate drinking acceptable for their patients, 80% worked in outpatient programs and 70% reported moderate drinking as appropriate for only 1-25% of their clientele. Respondents endorsing moderate drinking rated the following factors as important when selecting outcome goals: severity of physiological dependence, drinking history, psychological dependence, previous treatment, criminal behavior and liver function test results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Ohio 43403-0228.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D013695:Temperance / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States