Harmful effects of drinking and the use and perceived effectiveness of treatment

The objectives of the study were to examine relationships between: (1) harmful effects of drinking and use of treatment services, (2) the number of different types of harm experienced and whether or not treatment was obtained, and (3) the types of treatment obtained and the perceived effectiveness of treatment.

A secondary analysis was carried out of data obtained from the Canadian National Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey, conducted by Statistics Canada in 1989. The sample consisted of 1,954 respondents who reported experiencing at least one of six specified harmful effects from drinking. Chi-square tests were used to test relationships, with the alpha level set at 0.01.

While 21.5% of all current drinkers suffered at least one type of harm, only 10.6% of these obtained treatment (Objective 1). The number of harmful effects experienced is directly related to the likelihood of obtaining treatment: only 3.8% of those who had experienced one type of harm received treatment compared to 41.6% of those suffering all six types of harm (Objective 2). Almost three-quarters (73.8%) of those who received treatment obtained it through self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. While the findings about perceived effectiveness of treatment are tenuous because of the small numbers involved, more than half (52.0%) of those who had used self-help groups rated them as very effective, with most of the remainder (43.2%) rating them as moderately effective (Objective 3).

The results confirm the contention that those who suffer harm from drinking are often difficult to involve in treatment. They also show, however, that the greater the number of harmful effects experienced, the more likely it is that a person will obtain treatment, suggesting that those most harmed are easiest to involve in treatment. The findings also emphasize that self-help groups are the overwhelmingly preferred mechanism for those who do obtain treatment, perhaps because of their greater accessibility and flexibility. Also, although the least reported harmful effect was on work, studies and employment, persons suffering this type of harm were the most likely to obtain treatment, suggesting that others affected by the harmed person may play a significant role in influencing him or her to obtain treatment.