[Memory deficits in alcohol dependent patients in the 1st weeks of abstinence]

The aim of the study is to analyse memory deficits of alcohol dependents after detoxification with regard to the degree of recovery since the beginning of abstinence. Four samples include in the whole 168 alcohol dependent in-patients of same age and sex. Psychological tests of verbal as well as visual memory with retention times of a few seconds to 30 minutes were applicated, among others the Auditory-Verbal-Learning-Test, the digit span as well as the Benton-Visual-Retention-Test. The results show that the performance grows with time of abstinence. This increase, however, is nearly finished after seven days. In the discussion the idea of a dichotomization of the detoxification development concerning the memory performance is encouraged according to which in a first stage of about seven days the most pronounced disturbances become less. In a second stage lasting weeks cognitive deficits of a minor degree remain. This is in accordance with other studies in which however the age was not controlled well.