Neuropsychological rehabilitation of alchoholics : a preliminary report

Alcoholism is associated with impairment of information processing attention, memory and concept formation, which hamper the patients response to psychotherapy aimed at treating alcoholism. We improved cognitive functioning in abstinent alcoholics through cognitive retraining. Eight detoxified male alcoholics, comparable on age, education, marital status, medication and years of alcohol consumption were assigned, four each to the treatment and control groups. Cognitive retraining given to the treatment group improved attention, information processing, memory, planning and reasoning. Daily, individual, one hour sessions were conducted for six weeks. Patients in the control groups were seen weekly once and counselled if necessary. In the treatment group, significant improvement of information processing, memory, and reduction of neuropsychological deficits resulted from retraining. Control group showed no changes in cognitive function. Family functioning and long term abstinence were not influenced by cognitive retraining. Neuropsychological rehabilitation is effective in improving cognitive deficits of abstinent alcoholics.