A low-cost evaluation of alcoholism treatment in a private psychiatric hospital program

The authors designed a low-cost evaluation study to examine outcome on an alcoholism specialty unit of a private psychiatric hospital as well as to look at the effects of several post-treatment therapies. Using conservative criteria for good outcome, and accounting for the expected poorer outcome of non-respondents, they found that the program achieved a 58 percent success rate. Use of Alcoholics Anonymous and a covert sensitization exercise developed especially for the program were associated with better outcome in terms of drinking behavior post-hospitalization. It should not be difficult to conduct a similar study in other treatment settings with a low research budget.