Neuropsychologically impaired alcoholics: assessment, treatment considerations, and rehabilitation

Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in the neuropsychological status of the alcoholic. The research documenting neuropsychological deficits has consistently shown impairments in abstract reasoning ability, visuospatial and visuomotor ability, and learning and memory skills. Despite these findings, it appears that many alcohol treatment clinicians interpret patient behavior from a psychological perspective and treatment programs make unwarranted assumptions about patients' ability to profit from standard treatment approaches. This paper discusses these issues, and presents an outline of an innovative cognitive rehabilitation program designed specifically to meet the needs of neuropsychologically impaired alcoholic patients.