Relationship between posttreatment drinking and alternative responses to high-risk situations proposed during...

Problem drinkers' alternatives to high-risk situations were evaluated and related to treatment outcome. participants were 80 problem drinkers (64% males, 36% females) who completed a brief outpatient Guided Self-Change treatment. Treatment included a homework exercise where clients identified two to three high-risk situations and generated alternative responses for each situation. Based on a coding scheme developed by Moser and Annis (1996), responses were coded as (a) cognitive or behavioral, and (b) active or avoidant. Results indicated that the proportion of cognitive coping responses (e.g., thinking through the consequences) was positively related to posttreatment improvement. This prospective study suggests that intention to use active cognitive coping responses influences the relapse process.