SOCIAL SCIENCE AND THE CITIZEN / 3

Alcotrolism Treatment issue, as more than 50 percent of the 2 million people treated for alcoholism in the fTrhe Human Relations Area Files has an- I nounced the conclusions reached United States each year are involved in one or both of these types of programs. through a twelve-month review of 134 The key conclusions about Alcoholics studies bearing on the effectiveness of Al- Anonymous are: coholics Anonymous (AA) and counseling in the treatment of alcoholism. The effec- I There is no scientific evidence that Altiveness of these two approaches is a key coholics Anonymous is more effective than other approaches used in alcoholism treatment. What evidence does exist suggests that AA is about as eff’ective as most other approaches. r The majority of people who turn to AA for help with their abusive drinking drop out of the program before they become meaningfully involved in it. In this regard, AA is much like other programs, which also suffer fiom high dropout rates. E Alcoholics Anonymous seems to be most effective when used for follow-up care by persons who have recently completed an inpatient rehabilitation program. m While Alcoholics Anonymous attracts a wide range of people from all walks of life, it is clear that AA u,orks for only a minority of alcoholics. Unfortunately, research to date has not yet identified the specific social and psychological characteristics which distinguish those people most likely to benefit from involvement in AA.

The key conclusion about Al-Anon (for relatives/friends of alcoholics) is:

r Members of Al-Anon s’ho are married to men with drinking problems are better able to cope than nonmembers with their husbands’ abusive drinking and related problems.

The key conclusions about counseling

E Although hard scientific evidence is lacking, the available evidence suggests that counseling is often an effective component of the alcoholism treatment program. r Recovered alcoholics are not more effective counselors than nonalcoholics. a Counselors with extensive work or professional experience are not necessarily more eft’ective than those with limited experience. r Participation in a formal counselor training program often increases a counselor’s knowledge about alcoholism and sharpens his or her therapeutic skills.

The review project was directed by David kvinson and resulted in the publication of A Guide to Alcoholism Treatment Research: Volume IIl. Alcoholics Anonymous and Counseling.