A trial of "standard" outpatient alcoholism treatment vs. a minimal treatment control.
This study sought to examine the effectiveness of a "standard" outpatient alcoholism treatment (ST) program. An outpatient alcoholism treatment as it is commonly practiced in the US (with group and individual therapy, and an emphasis on Alcoholics Anonymous [AA]), was compared with a minimal treatment (MT) approach (weekly alcohol education movies). At 6 months, ST patients surpassed those in MT in terms of complete abstinence, reduction in amount of alcohol consumed, length of sobriety at follow-up, improvement in employment status, number of AA meetings attended, and lower initial drop-out. It is concluded that a ST approach is more helpful than MT in treating severely alcohol-dependent individuals who have not been able to cut down drinking on their own. Those already drinking less appeared to be helped by MT.
Davis
William T
WT
Alcohol Dependency Treatment Program, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 00MH, 130 W. Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, NY 10468, USA. william.davis2@med.va.gov
Campbell
Larry
L
Tax
Judith
J
Lieber
Charles S
CS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010045:Outpatients; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013695:Temperance; D016896:Treatment Outcome