Treatment outcome for earlier-phase alcoholics

Employed alcoholics treated in a traditional inpatient alcoholism treatment program were classified by their alcoholism counselors as being in either the chronic phase or in earlier phases of alcoholism. Three-month follow-up data indicated that a significantly smaller proportion (41%) of the earlier-phase alcoholics than of the chronics (59%) were maintaining abstinence. Given abstinence as the primary success criterion, it must be concluded that earlier-phase alcoholics treated in this program were less successful than chronics. However, follow-up data also indicated that earlier-phase alcoholics were more likely than chronics to be controlling their drinking. These findings are discussed in light of the newly emerging paradigm of alcohol problems as a multidimensional rather than a unidimensional problem; it is suggested that success criteria be relaxed to include controlled or responsible drinking as acceptable treatment objectives and that experimental treatment programs, specifically for earlier-phase alcoholics, be initiated.