Social skills training in groups for alcoholics: one-year treatment outcome for groups and individuals

In an experimental comparison, 24 inpatients at an Alcoholism Treatment Center with the DSM-III diagnosis alcohol dependence (alcoholism) were randomly assigned to a Social Skills Training Group (SSTG) or a Control Group (CG). Both groups received, in addition, the traditional treatment program at the institution. Self-report questionnaires, as well as questionnaires for significant others, were used to get biweekly information after discharge on current drinking habits, working days, and nights slept home. A lottery procedure ensured an extremely high return rate of questionnaires during 1 year follow-up (23 of 24 clients returned all questionnaires). SSTG clients drank on the average 2/3 of the amount of pure alcohol or its equivalent (740 cl, that is 14.2 cl/week) that the CG clients did (1196 cl, that is 23.0 cl/week) during 1 year follow-up after discharge. SSTG clients had twice as many sober days (281 or 77% compared to 116 or 32%) and working days (223 or 97% compared to 104 or 45%). The average length of abstinence period after discharge were 51.6 days for SSTG and 8.3 for CG clients. All SSTG clients had drunk after 143 days, and all CG clients after 31 days. During drinking days, however, SSTG had drunk almost twice as much as CG clients. The average number of nights slept home were 345 (95%) for the SSTG versus 316 (87%) for the CG. In addition to group data, detailed individual data are also presented.