Alcoholism: a long-term follow-up study of participants in an alcohol treatment programme.
This paper reports the results of a long-term follow-up study of 112 alcoholic patients admitted to an intensive 1-month residential programme. Outcomes at the 6-month and 1-year stages were reported in an earlier paper [G. K. Shaw et al. (1990) British Journal of Psychiatry 157, 190-196]. The length of the follow-up period in this study was an average of 9 years. Eighteen patients had died before the long-term follow-up stage, and of the remaining 94 a total of 60 patients were followed up. This study shows that major improvements on social, psychological and drinking behaviour measures, made at 6 months and 1 year follow-up, were, on the whole, maintained and there was a progressive improvement on most variables at each follow-up stage. Major improvements were achieved by those patients whose drinking was categorized as 'abstinent', 'controlled' and 'improved'. The proportion of patients categorized as 'unchanged' dropped from 43% at 6 months to 33% at 1 year and to 15% at 9 years. By the 1-year follow-up stage, the unchanged group showed deterioration on psychological variables such as neuroticism, self-esteem and satisfaction with life situations, continued to make use of health service resources, and the high level of alcohol-related physical and social complications remained unchanged. This group had similar results at long-term follow-up with the exception of neuroticism, which was significantly lower in all drinking categories.
Shaw
G K
GK
Elmdene Research Unit, Bexley Hospital, Kent, UK.
Waller
S
S
Latham
C J
CJ
Dunn
G
G
Thomson
A D
AD
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D013695:Temperance; D016896:Treatment Outcome