Patterns in the institutional encounters of problem drinkers in a community human services network

It is useful to view the social handling of alcohol problems in US communities from the perspective of a whole network of human service systems that share in the burden of identifying and responding to problem drinkers. This analysis examines the management of alcohol problems in different community service systems by mapping patterns in the institutional encounters of problem drinkers across alcohol treatment, drug treatment, mental health treatment, social welfare and criminal justice systems in a single US community. Findings highlight the prominence of large bureaucratic systems for social welfare and criminal justice as sources of referrals for smaller service systems offering treatment for alcohol problems. However, large proportions of problem-drinking service recipients in the community remain exclusive clients of the welfare and criminal justice systems, making no contact with therapeutically orientated service settings. Compared with problem drinkers who obtain treatment services, problem drinkers on the case-loads of criminal justice and welfare agencies tend to be younger, of higher socio-economic status, are more likely to be male, and tend to drink less heavily and to experience fewer symptoms of alcohol dependence. Given the distinctive characteristics of problem drinkers found exclusively in criminal justice and welfare settings, it may be advisable for communities to introduce early intervention programs in these systems that target services to this particular subgroup of problem drinkers.