[A pilot study of treatment of alcohol abuse. Marked improvement of alcohol drinking habits of both treated and untreated persons].

The original aim of the study was to compare outcome in a randomised trial of the Minnesota model and of out-patient treatment for alcohol abuse. Owing to recruitment difficulties, and a high drop-out rate in the Minnesota treatment group, the trial had to be discontinued. Thus, the findings chiefly consist in a comparison between outpatient treatment and non-treatment for alcohol abuse after 6, 12 and 18 months of follow-up; no significant differences in outcome between these two groups were found in terms of drinking behaviour or social adjustment. In the study, different methods of recruitment were used with varying results, and different treatment evaluation instruments were tested. An apparently beneficial effect was found of participation in the trial itself.