Broad-spectrum behavioral treatment for chronic alcoholics: Effects of training controlled drinking skills

Evaluated drinking skills training for 62 male chronic alcoholic veterans (mean age 46.1 yrs) by assigning 10 successive cohorts to trained or untrained conditions in a randomized block experimental design. All Ss received broad-spectrum behavioral treatment consisting of alcohol education, group therapy, individual therapy, self-management training, job-seeking and interpersonal-skills training, drink-refusal-skills training, and relaxation training. Cohorts assigned to the controlled drinking skills condition received 15 hrs of blood-alcohol-level discrimination training, responsible-drinking-skills training, and social-drinking practice sessions. Six-month posttreatment follow-up revealed that Ss in the drinking skills condition had significantly fewer abstinent days and more abusive drinking days than Ss in the untrained condition. Differences between groups were not significant in follow-up Months 7-22, although trends continued. No differences were obtained on moderate drinking days or any adjunctive measures of psychosocial adjustment. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).