The Challenge of the Skid Row Alcoholic. Social, Psychological and Psychiatric Comparison of Chronically Jailed Alcoholics and Cooperative Alcoholic Clinic Patients

Abstract

A social, psychological and psychiatric study was made of 50 chronically jailed male alcoholics and 50 alcoholic patients who regularly attended an outpatient alcoholic clinic. Significant differences were found in the areas of intelligence, education, occupation, work regularity, marital history, number of siblings, medical history, present social resources, motivation and prognosis. No significant differences were seen in the age, parental drinking or drinking history. The meaning of each of these differences is discussed. While the chronically jailed are not in any more advanced stages of alcoholism than the outpatients, from 30 to 48% of the former appear to need institutional care on the basis of their psychiatric diagnosis and poor prognosis for achieving more adequate functioning in the community without alcohol.