Custom Search

Institute of Medicine - Alcohol Treatment Recommendations:

The Institute of Medicine commissioned an exhaustive critical review of the research literature related to alcohol treatment. Its conclusions were published in Broadening the Base of Treatment for Alcohol Problems (1990 a) which included the following recommendations:

1. There is no single alcohol treatment approach that is effective for all persons with alcohol problems.
2. The provision of appropriate, specific treatment modalities can substantially improved outcome.
3. Brief interventions can be quite effective compared with no treatment, and they can be quite cost-effective compared with more intensive alcohol treatment.
4. Treatment of other life problems related to drinking can improve outcome in persons with alcohol problems.
5. Therapist characteristics are partial determinants of outcome.
6. Outcomes are determined in part by alcohol treatment process factors, post-treatment adjustment factors, the characteristics of individuals seeking treatment, the characteristics of the problems, and the interactions among these factors.
7. People who are treated for alcohol problems achieve a continuum of outcomes with respect to drinking behavior and alcohol problems and follow different courses of outcome.
8. Those who significantly reduce their level of alcohol consumption or become totally abstinent usually enjoy improvement in other life areas, particularly as the period of reduced consumption becomes more extended (pp.147-148).