Alcoholism; the role of psychiatry in meeting the problem

The extensive devastation resulting from excessive ingestion of alcoholic beverages is not widely recognized. Brief statistics indicate the extent of alcoholic beverage production and consumption, of the consumer outlay for products, and of losses in wages and the cost of increased illness incident to excessive drinking. Also indicated are the cost of law enforcement requirements coincident with drunkenness, and the factor of drinking in accidents and charitable care. Some of the sociologic and economic effects are recognized by agencies involved in the problem of alcoholism, but the extensive involvement of the personality of the addict and of his family and associates, the most devastating effect of all, is inestimable. Coordination of reorganized facilities is necessary to improve the situation. As the entire problem basically involves the personality, psychiatric principles need to be applied by means of studied recommendations and advice to coordinated groups making efforts to meet this extensive problem and to assist the alcoholic addict.