A trial of relapse prevention with severely dependent male problem drinkers.
Over the last two decades, relapse prevention has emerged as a major focus of the treatment of drug problems. Few studies have demonstrated any impact on generally high relapse rates. In this paper the outcome of a controlled trial of a relapse prevention programme with male problem drinkers (n = 60) attending an Alcohol Treatment Unit is reported. Subjects who met the inclusion criteria were allocated to a relapse prevention (n = 20) procedure or a discussion (n = 20) or no-additional treatment (n = 20) control procedure. Subjects were followed-up at 6 and 12 months by the first author. The relapse prevention programme was associated with significantly greater increases in pre- and post-treatment self-efficacy compared to the discussion control group and significantly greater probability of total abstinence than all controls over the first 6-month follow up. In addition, the relapse prevention programme was associated with significantly longer survival time to an initial lapse and relapse than the controls. At 12-month follow-up, treatment effects had been eroded. It was concluded that the relapse prevention programme was an effective treatment in the short term and that longer-term impact may require greater focus on maintenance factors, such as the individual's environment.
Allsop
S
S
National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, Flinders University of South Australia, Australia.
Saunders
B
B
Phillips
M
M
Carr
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome