Behavioral treatment of the geriatric alcohol abuser: a long term follow-up study

The present study represents a long-term follow-up of elderly persons who completed a behavioral treatment program for alcohol problems. Subjects over the age of 60 at the time they obtained treatment for alcohol abuse were contacted two to four years after discharge. Interviews with the alcohol abuser and a significant other were conducted in an effort to identify the percentage of persons for whom treatment had sustained beneficial effects, differences in outcome for early-versus late-onset alcohol abusers, and demographic and daily activity variables that distinguish abstinent from nonabstinent individuals. Results suggest that beneficial effects of the program maintained for 50% of the patients two or more years following completion of the program. An additional 12% reported significant modification of their drinking. Directions for future research are suggested.