Characteristics of male medical patients referred for alcoholism treatment☆

A Randomized Trial of Integrated Outpatient Treatment for Medically Ill Alcoholic Men

“…Patients in this study had substantial medical illnesses, the severity of which may override other factors in determining quality of life. In a previous study, Willenbring and colleagues 3 found that older, medically ill alcoholics primarily had medical and family problems, as opposed to younger, more antisocial alcoholics, who had legal and employment problems. The medical and social problems of older heavy drinkers may be less responsive to reductions in drinking.…”

“…Furthermore, IOT was designed to overcome the reluctance of many alcoholics to accept a referral for conventional alcoholism treatment. 3 Restricting the sample to those who were willing to accept referral would introduce substantial sampling bias and fail to test an important hypothesis. One outcome to be examined would include participation rates following referral.…”

“…1999;159:1946-1952 A LCOHOL dependence is a leading cause of medical morbidity and premature mortality, 1,2 yet treatment for patients with alcohol dependence and severe medical comorbid conditions remains problematic. Many medically ill alcoholics refuse to accept referrals to conventional alcohol treatment programs 3,4 or demonstrate a lack of response to treatment. 3,5 Alcohol treatment programs are often not adequately staffed to care for seriously ill patients, and medical providers are often not skilled at recognizing or treating alcoholism.…”

“…Many medically ill alcoholics refuse to accept referrals to conventional alcohol treatment programs 3,4 or demonstrate a lack of response to treatment. 3,5 Alcohol treatment programs are often not adequately staffed to care for seriously ill patients, and medical providers are often not skilled at recognizing or treating alcoholism. 6 As a result, considerable time and effort may be spent treating the complications of alcohol dependence without addressing the primary disorder itself.…”

Efficacy of Psychosocial Interventions in Inducing and Maintaining Alcohol Abstinence in Patients With Chronic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review

“…Substantial evidence exists demonstrating the value of psychosocial interventions in treating AUD in patients without liver disease 15, 16 . However, patients with CLD may be a special population due to heavier drinking histories, relatively little insight into the relationship between their drinking and CLD development, refusal to accept referral to conventional alcohol treatment programs, and difficulty achieving or maintaining abstinence despite being at substantial risk of developing life threatening hepatic decompensation 17 . Given this, it is plausible that patients with CLD may respond differently to psychosocial interventions than those without CLD.…”