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Published on: January 5, 2018
Controlled drinking by chronic drunkeness offenders--a British experience.
1WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Ogun State, Nigeria.
While total abstinence is the goal, some individuals with alcohol dependence can achieve controlled drinking. Further research is needed to identify suitable candidates for this alternative approach.
Area of Science:
- Addiction Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Manchester Detoxification Centre aimed for total abstinence in treating drunkenness offenders.
- A subset of patients pursued controlled drinking despite the abstinence-focused treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of controlled drinking as an alternative to total abstinence.
- To explore the potential for controlled drinking in managing alcohol dependence.
Main Methods:
- Follow-up study of 235 drunkenness offenders over 2 years.
- Analysis of 27 individuals who attempted controlled drinking.
- Comparison of controlled drinking success rates with overall abstinence rates.
Main Results:
- Nine out of 27 patients sustained controlled drinking for up to 12 weeks.
- The controlled drinking subgroup achieved a 10.2% success rate.
- This success rate compared favorably with the 10% overall abstinence rate.
Conclusions:
- Controlled drinking may be a viable alternative for carefully selected individuals with alcohol dependence.
- Total abstinence should remain the primary treatment goal, but controlled drinking warrants further research.
- Identifying criteria for selecting individuals suitable for controlled drinking is a key future research direction.
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