[The fight against alcoholism and its consequences in general practice (author's transl)]

Alcoholism is the number-one social scourge in France today and any means that become available for combating its effects are of the utmost importance. The author used an original approach to the problem by obtaining the co-operation of the family doctors in order to study 60 cases, including 52 men and 8 women, with alcoholism. Clinical symptoms, drinking habits, and in some cases biological test results using Gamma GT were recorded. The patients were then treated with tiapride. Daily family, professional and social activities were always better after treatment with extension of ideation and improved relations with others. Tremor was also greatly diminished. Distate for alcohol was not observed constantly but in some rare cases. Total abstinence was only noted in one case, but reduced alcohol consumption was reported in 50% of the patients. It is true that the product was not associated systematically with psychotherapy which might have made the results more demonstrative, but the objective of the study was to evaluate whether tiapride could be of value by assisting in the fight against alcoholism, and this was confirmed.