INPATIENT TREATMENT OF ALCOHOLICS - METHODS AND RESULTS

The long-time couse of alcoholism is unfavourable when patients do not receive help or when they do not want to receive help. Only 10% of those patients become abstinent, Rates of complete and stable remission over 3-4 years among patients treated in specialized alcoholism treatment facilities in Canada or in the USA range from 7% to 28%. Follow-up studies report 22% and 40% of all patients admitted to West German addiction units remaining completely abstinent for 4 years. Compared to North American follow-up studies these results seem more favourable, differences between treatment facilities also being less pronounced. It can be concluded that such high expenditure of costs and time in in-patient treatment of alcoholism is efficient.