Self-help group participation, avoidance of nonalcoholic beer, and nonsmoking independently predict better drinking...

Relapse after inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence is a major barrier to recovery. This study evaluated one-year drinking outcomes and their associations with self-help group participation, nonalcoholic beer use, smoking after discharge, and other prognostic factors among Japanese men treated for alcohol dependence.

We conducted a prospective 12-month follow-up of 198 male patients who completed a three-month inpatient program in 2014. Drinking status, self-help participation, nonalcoholic beer consumption, and smoking after discharge were assessed by mailed questionnaires. Time to first drink, heavy-drinking lapse, and sustained relapse were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models.

One-year abstinence was higher among self-help participants (n = 51) than nonparticipants (n = 147) (52.7% vs. 36.8%, p = 0.019) and higher among nonusers (n = 143) than users of nonalcoholic beer (n = 55) (51.2% vs. 15.3%, p < 0.0001). In multivariate models, self-help participation reduced the risk of a drinking lapse (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.31-0.82) and use of nonalcoholic beer increased the risk (HR 2.30, 95% CI 1.54-3.44). Smoking within one month after discharge, a family history of heavy or problem drinking, and use of psychiatric medication at discharge were also associated with higher hazards. Sensitivity analyses treating dropouts as lapses did not change the results. Heavy-drinking-free rates and sustained-relapse-free rates followed similar patterns. A dose-response pattern emerged: Having all three modifiable protective behaviors (self-help participation, no nonalcoholic beer, and nonsmoking) offered the strongest protection against lapse and relapse [drinking lapse HR 0.18 (95% CI 0.06-0.50); heavy-drinking lapse HR 0.13 (95% CI 0.04-0.48); sustained relapse HR 0.14 (95% CI 0.04-0.48)], two factors showed intermediate protection, and a single factor alone was not significant.

Strengthening self-help participation and smoking cessation support at discharge is recommended, and caution is warranted regarding nonalcoholic beer as a potential jeopardy to abstinence.