Impact of aftercare arrangements on the maintenance of treatment success in abusive drinkers.

Overview

Aftercare to prevent relapse following alcohol treatment has not received adequate experimental investigation. The present study monitored alcohol intake of 50 patients following assignment to either an intensive aftercare recruitment procedure or regular clinic aftercare. The results indicated that those who received the intensive aftercare procedure showed delayed relapse. In addition, regardless of group assignment those who attended aftercare had significantly more success as measured by alcohol intake. The implications of these results for the design of treatment and aftercare programs are discussed.