Response to Treatment of Alcoholism; a Follow-Up Study

Abstract

A total of 113 male alcoholics were followed up for 1 year following 90-day inpatient treatment (group psychotherapy, therapeutic activities and vocational rehabilitation) at the Alcoholism Treatment Program of the Houston, Texas, Veterans Administration Hospital. Each subject was tested at discharge and 1 month and 1 year following discharge on 7 scales adapted from the Veterans Administration Psychiatric Evaluation Project, an abstinence scale and 3 personality tests. Complete data were obtained on 88 subjects: 5 subjects died during the follow-up year and 20 were either untraceable or uncooperative. At 1-year follow-up, 22 (25%) of the 88 subjects were abstinent and 23 (26%) reported only a single episode of drinking or only "social" drinking; thus 51% were rated as distinctly improved; 35% reported drinking within 1 month of discharge and 65% by 6 months. The subjects who improved in drinking behavior also improved in the emotional, vocational, mental, social and legal areas of adjustment. When the improved and unimproved groups were compared on background and demographic characteristics, social and economic factors, psychological test data and drinking history, relatively few items showed significant differences. The improved tended to be more "neurotic," the unimproved more "psychopathic"; the improved socialized and handled problems better, and were a more unstable and acting-out group. A "significant other" person of 70 of the 88 subjects was also interviewed and generally agreed with the ex-patients on their status, but they were more restricted and conservative in their judgments concerning they were more restricted and conservative in their judgments concerning improvement. A higher percentage of subjects completed follow-up personal interviews than returned mailed follow-upquestionnaires. It appears that personal interview with home visit is a clearly superior method of follow-up.