A comparison of cessation strategies for the outpatient alcoholic

The present study compared the relative effectiveness of group-administered covert sensitization, supportive group therapy, and a non-specific control in disrupting the drinking response of 28 outpatient alcoholics. Multiple measures of treatment outcome were examined to insure a more comprehensive assessment of treatment effects. These included (a) randomly sampled blood/alcohol levels, (b) reported mean daily drinking frequencies and (c) reported urges to drink. Results indicated that supportive group therapy was significantly more effective than the other two treatments in reducing subjects' reported daily drinking. No significant differences were found on measures of blood/alcohol concentration or subjects' ratings of frequency of urges to drink. All three groups reported significant improvement over time on urge ratings. Results seriously question the efficacy of covert sensitization in helping outpatient alcoholics reduce their intake of alcohol.