The effect of coping skills training on alcohol consumption in heavy social drinking

This study, designed to evaluate a relapse prevention technique, is based on Swedish "heavy" social drinkers who wanted to drink less or quit completely. They were recruited by advertisement in national Swedish newspapers and were randomly assigned into a control group and a coping skill training group (treatment group). Data were collected during the period 1989-1991. Subjects in the coping skills training group were taught methods to cope with the craving for alcohol, and subjects in the control group had a conventional discussion about their problems and the future. All participants also had to set a goal to be reached after the treatment. Subjects were asked about their alcohol consumption and dependence of alcohol and other alcohol-related behaviors, before, six months, and 18 months after treatment. The coping skills training did not prove more efficient than nonspecific treatment received in the control group. Instead alcohol consumption decreased as a function of the subjects' initial goals, independent of treatment and a wish to control drinking seemed more efficient than to try to quit drinking completely.