A Program for the Treatment of Alcoholics in a Mental Hospital

Abstract

An efficient treatment pro-gram beyond the drying out stage which emphasizes individualization as well as social measures is proposed. The key for its success depends on a relatively small, carefully selected and permanently assigned treatment team. The actual program consists of AA meetings, voluntary group and individual psychotherapy, therapeutic community meeting and conventional psychiatric treatment for those who are psychotic. The effectiveness of the program appears to be related to social attitudes towards alcoholics and undercurrents within the social structure of the mental hospital encompassing patients as well as alcoholic staff.